Sample records for filter bag investigation

Cleaning of TPP flue gases with bagfilters capable of pulsed regeneration is examined. A new filtering element with a three-dimensional filtering material formed from a needle-broached cloth in which the filtration area, as compared with a conventional smooth bag, is increased by more than two times, is proposed. The design of a new FRMI type of modular filter is also proposed. A standard series of FRMI filters with a filtration area ranging from 800 to 16,000 m{sup 2} is designed for an output more than 1 million m{sub 3}/h of with respect to cleaned gas. The new bagfilter permits dry collection of sulfur oxides from waste gases at TPP operating on high-sulfur coals. The design of the filter makes it possible to replace filter elements without taking the entire unit out of service.

A description is given of a bagfilter having a self-sealing cuff at the upper open end thereof, a bottom support at the closed end to tension the bag and prevent flapping and a plurality of spaced anticollapse rings each of which encircles an annular outer surface of the bag to which it is attached between the ends of the bag to prevent bag collapse.

The rate at which hydrogen (H {sub 2}) or a volatile organic compound (VOC) exits a layer of confinement in a vented waste drum is proportional to the concentration difference across the layer. The proportionality constant is the gas transport characteristic. A series of transport experiments were conducted to determine H{sub 2} and VOC transport characteristics across different drum filter vents and polymer bags. This report reviews the methods and results of past investigators in defining transport characteristics across filter vents and polymer bags, describes the apparatus and procedures used in these experiments, compares the reported and estimated transport characteristics with earlier results, and discusses the impact of changing the transport characteristic values used in model calculations.

An investigation on the effect of the surface properties and the cloth structure of a filter medium on the operation of a filterbag was conducted using a pilot-scale testing device. The collection properties and the increase in the residual drop, as well as the mass of the residual dust embedded within the filter medium, were measured. Three filter media were investigated: a singed filter medium, a calendered filter medium, and one with a membrane-laminated surface. The experimental results obtained show that the operational characteristics of a filterbag is greatly influenced by the surface properties and the cloth structure of the filter medium. The calendered filterbag has an unfavorable operational quality concerning both the collection properties and the residual pressure drop. The hard thickening of the filter medium drives to the rapid clogging of the filterbag. In contrast, the other two filter media have favorable characteristics concerning the above two criteria. At the same time, it was found that after tests conducted for about 70 h each, the singed filterbag, compared with the membrane-laminated one, exhibits a lower residual pressure drop, although more particles are deposited inside. The lowest filtration cycle duration was recorded by the calendered medium, whereas the cleaning frequency by the other two media was nearly in the same range.

Wisconsin Electric Power Co. (WEPCO) met the latest federal clean air standards by installing a new pollution control system using fabric filterbags to trap superheated ash and other contaminants at its coal-fired Valley Power Plant. The 6-inch diameter, 20-foot-long filterbags are made form fibers produced by Amoco Fabrics and Fibers (Greenville, South Carolina) using Ryton{reg_sign} polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), an engineering thermoplastic produced by Phillips Chemical Co. (Bartlesville, Oklahoma). The Valley Power Plant produces steam-generated electricity and steam heat for customers in downtown Milwaukee. The plant`s pollution control system is fitted with four bag-house units, each serving one of the four coal-fired boilers. The system contains 18,000 filterbags (560 bags per module, with eight modules in each baghouse). Each house has 4,480 bags to handle a flue stream of up to 400,000 cubic feet per minute at temperatures between 280 F and 320 F.

To our best knowledge, this study is the first research which investigates whether the PCDD/F memory effect could also be caused by bagfilters. In this study, the PCDD/F characteristics of the flue gases in front of and behind the bagfilters of one municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) and two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) were investigated to clarify the memory effect of PCDD/Fs and their influence on emissions. After the bagfilters were operated for over four years, the PCDD/F concentrations in the stack flue gases were all higher than those prior to the aged bagfilter, rendering a negative PCDD/F removal. This memory effect is because gaseous phase PCDD/Fs are released from the contaminated filters of the aged bagfilters. The release of 2,3,7,8-TeCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF from the contaminated filters of the EAFs increased the PCDD/F concentration and their fractions in the stack flue gases. In contrast, the MSWI exhibited increasing fractions of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, OCDD after flue gases passed through its aged bagfilter. The activated carbon of the MSWI adsorbed more lower chlorinated-substituted PCDD/Fs in the raw flue gases, and the remaining higher chlorinated congeners gradually accumulated on the aged filters, and were released in lower PCDD/F concentration conditions. PMID:21041021

Many researchers who use laboratory-scale synthesis systems to manufacture nanomaterials could be easily exposed to airborne nanomaterials during the research and development stage. This study used various real-time aerosol detectors to investigate the presence of nanoaerosols in a laboratory used to manufacture titanium dioxide (TiO2). The TiO2 nanopowders were produced via flame synthesis and collected by a bagfilter system for subsequent harvesting. Highly concentrated nanopowders were released from the outlet of the bagfilter system into the laboratory. The fractional particle collection efficiency of the bagfilter system was only 20% at particle diameter of 100 nm, which is much lower than the performance of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Furthermore, the laboratory hood system was inadequate to fully exhaust the air discharged from the bagfilter system. Unbalanced air flow rates between bagfilter and laboratory hood systems could result in high exposure to nanopowder in laboratory settings. Finally, we simulated behavior of nanopowders released in the laboratory using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). PMID:26125024

Many researchers who use laboratory-scale synthesis systems to manufacture nanomaterials could be easily exposed to airborne nanomaterials during the research and development stage. This study used various real-time aerosol detectors to investigate the presence of nanoaerosols in a laboratory used to manufacture titanium dioxide (TiO2). The TiO2 nanopowders were produced via flame synthesis and collected by a bagfilter system for subsequent harvesting. Highly concentrated nanopowders were released from the outlet of the bagfilter system into the laboratory. The fractional particle collection efficiency of the bagfilter system was only 20% at particle diameter of 100 nm, which is much lower than the performance of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Furthermore, the laboratory hood system was inadequate to fully exhaust the air discharged from the bagfilter system. Unbalanced air flow rates between bagfilter and laboratory hood systems could result in high exposure to nanopowder in laboratory settings. Finally, we simulated behavior of nanopowders released in the laboratory using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). PMID:26125024

High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuum cleaners are the primary tool used to clean up asbestos containing material during operations and maintenance (O&M) activities. he change-out of vacuum bags is a potential source of airborne asbestos contamination. n 1989 and...

Loss of filtration efficiency in a fabric filter baghouse is typically caused by bag failure, in one form or another. The degree of such failure can be as minor as a pinhole leak or as major as a fully involved baghouse fire. In some cases, local air pollution regulations or federal hazardous waste laws may require estimation of the total quantity of particulate matter released to the environment as a result of such failures. In this paper, a technique is presented for computing the dust loading in the baghouse exhaust when one or more bags have failed. The algorithm developed is shown to be an improvement over a previously published result, which requires empirical knowledge of the variation in baghouse pressure differential with bag failures. An example calculation is presented for a baghouse equipped with 200 bags. The prediction shows that a small percentage of failed bags can cause a relatively large proportion of the gas flow to bypass the active bags, which, in turn, leads to high outlet dust loading and low overall collection efficiency from the baghouse. 10 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Speciation of copper in waste incineration fly ashes (dry scrubber (DS) and bagfilter (BF)) has been studied by X-ray absorption near edge structural (XANES) spectroscopy in the present work. Copper species such as metallic Cu, CuO, Cu(OH)2, and a small amount of CuCO3 in the fly ashes could be distinguished by semi-quantitative analysis of the edge spectra. Interestingly, nano CuO (37%) were found in the BF fly ash, that might account for its relatively high leachability of copper.

Speciation of copper in waste incineration fly ashes (dry scrubber (DS) and bagfilter (BF)) has been studied by X-ray absorption near edge structural (XANES) spectroscopy in the present work. Copper species such as metallic Cu, CuO, Cu(OH)2, and a small amount of CuCO3 in the fly ashes could be distinguished by semi-quantitative analysis of the edge spectra. Interestingly, nano CuO (37%) were found in the BF fly ash, that might account for its relatively high leachability of copper.

Reusing filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) has been suggested as a strategy to conserve available supplies for home and healthcare environments during an influenza pandemic. For reuse to be possible, used FFRs must be decontaminated before redonning to reduce the risk of virus transmission; however, there are no approved methods for FFR decontamination. An effective method must reduce the microbial threat, maintain the function of the FFR, and present no residual chemical hazard. The method should be readily available, inexpensive and easily implemented by healthcare workers and the general public. Many of the general decontamination protocols used in healthcare and home settings are unable to address all of the desired qualities of an efficient FFR decontamination protocol. The goal of this study is to evaluate the use of two commercially available steam bags, marketed to the public for disinfecting infant feeding equipment, for FFR decontamination. The FFRs were decontaminated with microwave generated steam following the manufacturers' instructions then evaluated for water absorption and filtration efficiency for up to three steam exposures. Water absorption of the FFR was found to be model specific as FFRs constructed with hydrophilic materials absorbed more water. The steam had little effect on FFR performance as filtration efficiency of the treated FFRs remained above 95%. The decontamination efficacy of the steam bag was assessed using bacteriophage MS2 as a surrogate for a pathogenic virus. The tested steam bags were found to be 99.9% effective for inactivating MS2 on FFRs; however, more research is required to determine the effectiveness against respiratory pathogens. PMID:21525995

The purpose of these investigations was to evaluate the potential of various new fabrics as baghouse filters and to obtain data for their use, by the fabric filtration community. The testing consisted of simulating a baghouse operation in a carefully controlled laboratory setting...

The objective of this study was to compare methane (CH4) emissions from different feeds when incubated within filterbags for in vitro analysis or directly dispersed in the medium in an automated gas in vitro system. Four different concentrates and 4 forages were used in this study. Two lactating Swedish Red cows were used for the collection of rumen fluid. Feed samples were milled to pass a 1.0-mm screen. Aliquots (0.5 g) of samples were weighed directly in the bottles or within the F 0285 filterbags that were placed in the bottles. Gas samples were taken during 24 and 48 h of incubation, and CH4 concentration was determined. The data were analyzed using a general linear model. Feeds differed significantly in CH4 emission both at 24 and at 48 h of incubation. The interaction between feed and method on methane emission in vitro was significant, indicating that the ranking of feeds was not consistent between the methods. Generally, greater amounts of CH4 were emitted from samples directly dispersed in the medium compared with those incubated within the filterbags, which could be a result of lower microbial activity within the filterbags. The ratio of CH4 to total gas was greater when the feeds were incubated within bags compared with samples directly dispersed in the medium. Incubating samples in filterbags during 48 h of incubation cannot be recommended for determination of CH4 emission of feeds in vitro. PMID:23628246

This thesis describes a theoretical investigation of the nonlinear and linear heave dynamics of an air cushion vehicle (ACV) equipped with a bag and finger skirt system with the purpose of understanding the skirt's effect on the vehicle heave dynamics. Throughout the course of this work, the pure heave motion of a two dimensional section of the skirt is investigated using several mathematical models. Both the nonlinear and linearized analyses include a detailed model of the skirt geometry, which is modelled as a combination of inelastic membranes and links. Air flow processes from the bag to the cushion and from the cushion to the atmosphere are assumed to be quasisteady, and the bag and cushion volumes are modelled as lumped pneumatic capacitances. The modulation of the escaping cushion air by skirt-ground contact is also included. The nonlinear simulations reveal that characteristically nonlinear dynamical phenomena such as period doubling and chaos can be expected to occur during the normal operation of ACVs. Furthermore, a configuration representative of a 37 tonne vehicle shows a resonance at frequencies in the range for which humans are most sensitive. Although these results thus show that some aspects of the bag and finger skirt heave dynamics can be highly nonlinear, they indicate that under certain circumstances, standard linear techniques can yield useful insights. Results from the linear analysis suggest that changes in skirt geometry cannot be used to radically modify the undesirable heave response of the bag and finger skirt, but reducing the skirt mass is quite effective. The pneumatic capacitance of the bag and cushion volume proves to be an important factor in the heave response. In particular, it contributes to heave instability. The air compressibility also affects heave response at high frequencies, with the effect becoming more prominent as the flow rate is reduced. The importance of unsteady fan effects on ACV dynamics is investigated by the

This paper describes the performance of particulate emissions control technology used at a 800 ton per day municipal solid waste combustion facility. The technology consists of a pulse jet fabric filter collector equipped with GORE-TEX{reg_sign} membrane/TEFLON B fiberglass fabric filterbags and a lime slurry spray dryer absorber. During compliance emissions testing in 1995, the air pollution control system processed 110,000--121,000 acfm of flue gas delivered through two water wall boiler lines. Total particulate matter emissions averaged 0.003 gr/dscf at 7% O{sub 2} content. Emission levels of low and semi-volatile metals were also measured during the compliance tests. In all cases, these levels were either well below permit levels or below detection limits. Dioxin and furan emissions were measured during the compliance tests and were also found to be below permit levels and applicable federal emission guidelines for municipal waste combustors. This paper presents these emissions data as well as specific information on the performance of the GORE-TEX membrane filter media including pressure differential, permeability, and strength over a service life of five years.

The objective of the proposed work is to demonstrate the operational and economic feasibility of using high-temperature ceramic filters for particulate control in a variety of coal gasification power generating systems.

The report, third in an EPA Fabric Filtration series, gives results of an evaluation of fabric filters made of an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film supported on a woven Nomex scrim--the Gore Tex/Nomex fabric. Filtration efficiency was very high and other performance pa...

Masonry workers face some of the highest physical demands in the construction industry where large bags of masonry material weighing 42.7 kg are commonly handled by mason tenders who mix the mortar, distribute mortar and bricks/blocks, and erect/dismantle scaffolding throughout the day. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using half-weight bags (21.4 kg) on reducing the biomechanical loading, physiological response, and perceived exertions. Ten male subjects performed asymmetric lifting tasks simulating unloading bags from a pallet. Muscle activity, trunk kinematics, heart rate, blood pressure and subjective rating data were collected. Spine loads were predicted from a well-validated EMG-assisted model. Bag weight, lift type, bag height at origin, and asymmetry at destination significantly impacted the spine loads. While there was a 50% reduction in bag weight, the peak loads for the half-weight bags were only 25% less than the more available full-weight bags (a reduction of about 320 N of shear and 1000 N of compression). Lifts allowing movement of the feet reduced the loads by about 22% in shear and 27% in compression compared to constrained postures. Interestingly, cumulative spine loads were greater for the lighter bags than the heavy bags ( approximately 40%). The subjective ratings of exertion and risk were significantly lower for the lighter bags. RELEVANCE TO INDUSTRY: The reduction in peak spine loading for the half-weight bags, particularly at the higher heights and when the feet were allowed to move could significantly reduce the injuries of masonry workers. However, there were trade-offs with cumulative loads that may minimize the reduced risk. Overall, given the limited amount of time lifting bags, the reduction of peak loads. PMID:20206915

This report describes the concept, analysis, design, construction, and tests of an angular filter using an axial-conductance medium. The filter provides rejection that increases with incidence angle in the E plane. It is essentially invisible at broadside incidence, does not have critical tolerances on dimensions or materials, and operates over a wide frequency band. Analysis of an ideal homogeneous axial-conductance medium shows that the optimum value for the axial loss tangent is unity. With this value, the homogeneous medium provides approximately 8 dB of absorptive rejection per wavelength of filter thickness at a 45 E-plane incidence angle. Analysis of a practical inhomogeneous axial-conductance medium shows that some loss is introduced at broadside incidence, and that two types of waves can exist in the medium when only one wave is incident at an oblique angle. When the practical medium has dimensions that are properly chosen, its broadside loss can be negligible, and its rejection versus incidence angle can approximate that of the ideal medium. Tests of inhomogeneous samples in simulator wave guide confirm these analytical results. A screen printing method for depositing thick-film resistive ink on thin dielectric sheets has been investigated. With this method a 5x5 foot angular filter, designed for operation at 10 GHz, has been constructed containing over 70,000 axial-conductance elements.

Features, materials, and techniques of vacuum, pressure, and autoclave FRP bag molding processes are described. The bags are used in sealed environments, inflated to flexibly force a curing FRP laminate to conform to a stiff mold form which defines the shape of the finished product. Densification is achieved as the bag presses out the voids and excess resin from the laminate, and consolidation occurs as the plies and adherends are bonded by the bag pressure. Curing techniques nominally involved room temperature or high temperature, and investigations of alternative techniques, such as induction, dielectric, microwave, xenon flash, UV, electron beam, and gamma radiation heating are proceeding. Polysulfone is the most common thermoplastic. Details are given of mold preparations, peel plies or release films and fabrics, bagging techniques, and reusable venting blankets and silicone rubber bags.

To make clear some factors controlling the formation of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the process of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, six dust samples recovered from different bagfilters in commercial EAF steelmaking plants have been characterized with XRD, SEM-EPMA, XPS and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. These dust samples contain 1.9-8.0 mass% of chlorine element, and the XPS and TPD measurements exhibit that the Cl is enriched at the dust surface and composed of the inorganic and organic functionalities, part of the Cl being evolved as HCl in the temperature region of flue gas treatment. All of the samples also include 2.1-6.4 mass% of carbon element, and some of the C can release CO(2) in the TPD up to 300°C to form active carbon sites. The number is related closely to HCB concentration of each dust. Further, it is suggested that the Zn present in the samples consists of ZnFe(2)O(4), ZnO and surface ZnCO(3), and the dust with a larger content of the ZnCO(3) has a higher concentration of HCB. It is possible that HCB formation occurs via gas-solid-solid interactions among gaseous Cl-containing compounds in flue gas, active carbon sites and surface Zn-species produced in exhaust ducts and bagfilters. PMID:20674160

Tight bag is a clinical situation where excessive pressure needs to be applied to a reservoir bag of a breathing system to an intubated patient, which may or may not produce satisfactory ventilation. The various clinical scenarios and the appropriate steps for its prevention are described. PMID:20885863

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag, the suitcase-shaped common logistics carrying bag for Shuttle and the International Space Station. After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unzipped, unsnapped, and unfolded to be reused. Reuse ideas that have been investigated include partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing.

Background The BAG6 complex resides in the cytosol and acts as a sorting point to target diverse hydrophobic protein substrates along their appropriate paths, including proteasomal degradation and ER membrane insertion. Composed of a trimeric complex of BAG6, TRC35 and UBL4A, the BAG6 complex is closely associated with SGTA, a co-chaperone from which it can obtain hydrophobic substrates. Methodology and Principal Findings SGTA consists of an N-terminal dimerisation domain (SGTA_NT), a central tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain, and a glutamine rich region towards the C-terminus. Here we solve a solution structure of the SGTA dimerisation domain and use biophysical techniques to investigate its interaction with two different UBL domains from the BAG6 complex. The SGTA_NT structure is a dimer with a tight hydrophobic interface connecting two sets of four alpha helices. Using a combination of NMR chemical shift perturbation, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and microscale thermophoresis (MST) experiments we have biochemically characterised the interactions of SGTA with components of the BAG6 complex, the ubiquitin-like domain (UBL) containing proteins UBL4A and BAG6. We demonstrate that the UBL domains from UBL4A and BAG6 directly compete for binding to SGTA at the same site. Using a combination of structural and interaction data we have implemented the HADDOCK protein-protein interaction docking tool to generate models of the SGTA-UBL complexes. Significance This atomic level information contributes to our understanding of the way in which hydrophobic proteins have their fate decided by the collaboration between SGTA and the BAG6 complex. PMID:25415308

Large-volume parenteral (LVP) bag in which predetermined amount of sterile solution formulated by combining premeasured, prepackaged amount of sterile solute with predetermined amount of water. Bag designed to hold predetermined amount, typically 1 L, of sterile solution. Sterility of solution maintained during mixing by passing water into bag through sterilizing filter. System used in field or hospitals not having proper sterile facilities, and in field research.

We investigate numerically the edge modes supported by graphene ribbons and the planar band-stop filter consisting of a graphene ribbon lateral coupled a graphene ring resonator by using the finite-difference time-domain method. Simulation results reveal that the edge modes can enhance the electromagnetic coupling between objects indeed and this structure realizes perfect, tunable filtering effect. Successively, the channel-drop filter is constructed. Especially, the proposed structures can be designed and the size of the ring is changed by creating non-uniform conductivity patterns on monolayer graphene. Our studies will benefit the fabrication of the planar, ultra-compact devices in the mid-infrared region.

The environmental risk of exposure to six heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Cd) found in fly ashes from waste filterbags obtained from a steel plant was estimated based on the mineralogical compositions, total concentrations and speciation of the metals in the fly ashes. The results indicated that the fly ashes mainly consisted of hematite, magnetite, cyanite, spinel, coesite and amorphous materials. The concentrations of Zn and Pb were much higher than that of other materials. After Zn and Pb, Ni was present in the highest concentration, followed by Cu, Cr and Cd. Each heavy metal was distributed differently in fly ashes. The levels of Zn, Cd and Pb in the active fraction were very high, and ranged from 64.83 to 81.96%, 34.48 to 82.4% and 6.92 to 79.65% respectively, while Cu, Cr and Ni were mainly present in the residual fraction. The risk assessment code (RAC) values of fly ashes showed that the Zn and Cd present in the H3 sample presented a very high risk, with RAC values greater than 50%. The Cu present in the H3 sample, Cd in the H2 sample and Zn in the H4 and H5 samples presented a high risk. The Pb present in the H2 sample, Cd in the H4 sample, Ni in the H1 and H5 samples, and Zn in the H1 sample presented a medium risk. A low risk was presented by the Cu present in the H1, H2, H4 and H5 samples, the Pb in the H1, H3 and H5 samples, the Cd in the H1 and H5 samples, and the Ni in the H2 sample. No risk was presented by Cr in any sample. PMID:23778058

Children love to learn about new topics and share what they have discovered with their teachers, families, and friends. The authors designed the "Book Bag Buddies" project to give their third-grade students a chance to channel their enthusiasm and research from science investigations into writing. In this creative project, students integrated…

Pulse-jet bagfilters are frequently employed for particle removal from off gases. Separated solids form a layer on the permeable filter media called filter cake. The cake is responsible for increasing pressure drop. Therefore, the cake has to be detached at a predefined upper pressure drop limit or at predefined time intervals. Thus the process is intrinsically semi-continuous. The cake formation and cake detachment are interdependent and may influence the performance of the filter. Therefore, understanding formation and detachment of filter cake is important. In this regard, the filter media is the key component in the system. Needle felts are the most commonly used media in bagfilters. Cake formation studies with heat treated and membrane coated needle felts in pilot scale pulse jet bagfilter were carried out. The data is processed according to the procedures that were published already [Powder Technology, Volume 173, Issue 2, 19 April 2007, Pages 93-106]. Pressure drop evolution, cake height distribution evolution, cake patches area distribution and their characterization using fractal analysis on different needle felts are presented here. It is observed that concavity of pressure drop curve for membrane coated needle felt is principally caused by presence of inhomogeneous cake area load whereas it is inherent for heat treated media. Presence of residual cake enhances the concavity of pressure drop at the start of filtration cycle. Patchy cleaning is observed only when jet pulse pressure is too low and unable to provide the necessary force to detach the cake. The border line is very sharp. Based on experiments with limestone dust and three types of needle felts, for the jet pulse pressure above 4 bar and filtration velocity below 50 mm/s, cake is detached completely except a thin residual layer (100-200 μm). Uniformity and smoothness of residual cake depends on the surface characteristics of the filter media. Cake height distribution of residual cake and

As the profiling systems used in forensic analyses have become more sensitive in recent years, the risk of detecting a contamination in a DNA sample has increased proportionally. This requires more stringent work protocols and awareness to minimize the chance of contamination. Although there is high consciousness on contamination and best practice procedures in forensic labs, the same requirements are not always applied by the police. In this study we have investigated the risk of contamination from police staff. Environmental DNA was monitored by performing wipe tests (sampling of hot spots) at two large police units (scenes of crime departments). Additionally, the DNA profiles of the scenes of crime officers were compared to casework samples that their own unit had investigated in the period of 2009-2015. Furthermore, a pilot study to assess whether DNA from the outside package of an exhibit could be transferred to a DNA sample was carried out. Environmental DNA was detected in various samples from hot spots. Furthermore, 16 incidences of previously undetected police-staff contamination were found in casework that had been submitted between 2009 and 2015. In 6 cases the police officers with a matching DNA profile reported that they had not been involved with the case. We have demonstrated that DNA from the outside package can be transferred to an exhibit during examination. This experience demonstrates that when implementing the new multiplex systems, it is important to ensure that 'best practice' procedures are upgraded, and appropriate training is provided in order to ensure that police are aware of the increased contamination risks. PMID:27100680

Platelet Concentrates (PCs) are the blood components with the highest rate of bacterial contamination, and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most frequently isolated contaminants. This study investigated the biofilm formation of 16 contaminated units out of 691 PCs tested by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Adhesion in Borosilicate Tube (ABT) and Congo Red Agar (CRA) tests were used to assess the presence of biofilm. The presence of icaADC genes was assessed by means of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. With Vitek(r)2, Staphylococcus haemolyticus was considered the most prevalent CoNS (31.25%). The CRA characterized 43.8% as probable biofilm producers, and for the ABT test, 37.5%. The icaADC genes were identified in seven samples by the PCR. The ABT technique showed 85.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity when compared to the reference method (PCR), and presented strong agreement (k = 0.8). This study shows that species identified as PCs contaminants are considered inhabitants of the normal skin flora and they might become important pathogens. The results also lead to the recommendation of ABT use in laboratory routine for detecting biofilm in CoNS contaminants of PCs. PMID:26910444

Platelet Concentrates (PCs) are the blood components with the highest rate of bacterial contamination, and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most frequently isolated contaminants. This study investigated the biofilm formation of 16 contaminated units out of 691 PCs tested by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Adhesion in Borosilicate Tube (ABT) and Congo Red Agar (CRA) tests were used to assess the presence of biofilm. The presence of icaADC genes was assessed by means of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. With Vitek(r)2, Staphylococcus haemolyticus was considered the most prevalent CoNS (31.25%). The CRA characterized 43.8% as probable biofilm producers, and for the ABT test, 37.5%. The icaADC genes were identified in seven samples by the PCR. The ABT technique showed 85.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity when compared to the reference method (PCR), and presented strong agreement (k = 0.8). This study shows that species identified as PCs contaminants are considered inhabitants of the normal skin flora and they might become important pathogens. The results also lead to the recommendation of ABT use in laboratory routine for detecting biofilm in CoNS contaminants of PCs. PMID:26910444

The report gives results of a study to determine the effects of aging on filterbags made of woven polyester. Fabric filter life can be divided into three periods: break-in, steady-state, and wear-out. During the break-in, both bag collection efficiency and the pressure drop acro...

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) currently provides results, e.g., estimates of the tropospheric delays, with a delay of more than two weeks. In the future, with the coming VLBI2010 Global Observing System (VGOS) and increased usage of electronic data transfer, it is planned that the time between observations and results is decreased. This may, for instance, allow the integration of VLBI-derived tropospheric delays into numerical weather prediction models. Therefore, future VLBI analysis software packages need to be able to process the observational data autonomously in near real-time. For this purpose, we have extended the Vienna VLBI Software (VieVS) by a Kalman filter module. This presentation describes the filter and discusses its application for tropospheric studies. Instead of estimating zenith wet delays as piece-wise linear functions in a least-squares adjustment, the Kalman filter allows for more sophisticated stochastic modeling. We start with a random walk process to model the time-dependent behavior of the zenith wet delays. Other possible approaches include the stochastic model described by turbulence theory, e.g. the model by Treuhaft and Lanyi (1987). Different variance-covariance matrices of the prediction error, depending on the time of the year and the geographic latitude, have been tested. In winter and closer to the poles, lower variances and covariances are appropriate. The horizontal variations in tropospheric delays have been investigated by comparing three different strategies: assumption of a horizontally stratified troposphere, using north and south gradients modeled, e.g., as Gauss-Markov processes, and applying a turbulence model assuming correlations between observations in different azimuths. By conducting Monte-Carlo simulations of current standard VLBI networks and of future VGOS networks, the different tropospheric modeling strategies are investigated. For this purpose, we use the simulator module of VieVS which takes into

In this study the filtration velocity and filtration pressure drop at the beginning of bag cleaning were used as experimental parameters to evaluate the bag-cleaning performance of a pulse-jet baghouse. The effective residual pressure loss was used to indicate the cleaning performance after bag cleaning. Two different test dusts, fly ash and limestone, were used. The critical cleaning indices under different operation conditions for bag cleaning were also investigated. A critical average pulse overpressure was found to exist beyond which bag-cleaning performance did not improve much. It was found the filter's final filtration resistance is an important parameter to decide whether a Venturi is necessary for a good bag-cleaning performance or not. Use of a Venturi was found to increase the average pulse overpressure for a system with a filter's final resistance coefficient greater than about 500 Pa{center{underscore}dot}s/cm. However, no Venturi is recommended when the filter's final resistance coefficient is smaller than 500 Pa{center{underscore}dot}s/cm.

A design of a lunar regolith bag and bagging system is described. The bags of regolith are to be used for construction applications on the lunar surface. The machine is designed to be used in conjunction with the lunar SKITTER currently under development. The bags for this system are 1 cu ft volume and are made from a fiberglass composite weave. The machinery is constructed mostly from a boron/aluminum composite. The machine can fill 120 bags per hour and work for 8 hours a day. The man hours to machine hours ratio to operate the machine is .5/8.

The objective of the proposed work is to demonstrate the operational and economic feasibility of using high-temperature ceramic filters for particulate control in a variety of coal gasification power generating systems.

The objective of the proposed work is to demonstrate the operational and economic feasibility of using high-temperature ceramic filters for particulate control in a variety of coal gasification power generating systems.

A navigation filtering technique has been formulated using as state variables the initial or epoch position and velocity of the spacecraft. The estimate of this initial state is then improved by filtering new measurements. The current state may be obtained by a conic extrapolation of the epoch state. Results of a digital computer simulation of the epoch state filter show that this formulation of the navigational problem results in less computer run time and less computer storage space than conventional techniques. The errors produced by this technique have been demonstrated to be comparable to those obtained by conventional maximum-likelihood filtering.

PURPOSE: This investigation retrospectively examined ocular injuries associated with air bag deployment to gain a better appreciation of potential risk factors in motor vehicle accidents. National statistics regarding the efficacy of air bags were reviewed. METHODS: Review of the literature from 1991 to 1998 identified 44 articles describing 97 patients with air-bag-induced ocular injuries. Variables extracted from each case were age, sex, height, position in the car, eye wear, vehicle impact speed, visual acuity, and specific ocular injuries. RESULTS: Corneal abrasions occurred in 49% of occupants, hyphemas in 43%, vitreous or retinal hemorrhages in 25%, and retinal tears or detachments in 15%. The globe was ruptured in 10 patients. Patients involved in higher-speed accidents (over 30 mph) sustained a greater percentage of vitreous or retinal hemorrhages and traumatic cataracts, while those at slower speeds were more prone to retinal tears or detachments. In a subset of 14 patients with serious ocular injuries, the impact speed of 11 patients was recorded at 30 mph or less. Slower speed may be a risk factor for some ocular injuries. Occupant height was not a significant factor. National statistics confirm that air bags reduce fatalities in motor vehicle accidents. However, children sitting in the front seat without a seat belt and infants in passenger-side rear-facing car seats are at risk for fatal injury. CONCLUSION: Air bags combined with seat belts are an effective means of reducing injury and death in adults during motor vehicle accidents. However, this study has documented a wide variety of ocular injuries associated with air bag deployment. It is hoped that researchers can develop modifications that continue to save lives while minimizing additional harm. Images FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2A FIGURE 2B FIGURE 2C FIGURE 2D FIGURE 3A FIGURE 3B FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8 PMID:10703118

Relates an art project for seventh-grade students that uses the creation of museum bags to study portraiture and the painting styles of famous artists. Explains how students made a bag with a portrait of the artist on one side and a painting by that artist on the other. (DSK)

In a new method of anaerobic culture, a transparent, gas-impermeable bag is used and the anaerobic environment is established with copper sulfate-saturated steel wool. An Alka-Seltzer tablet generates carbon dioxide. The agar plate surface can be inspected through the bag at any time without interrupting the anaerobic atmosphere or disturbing other specimens. Methylene blue indicator strips are completely reduced by 4 h after the bag is set up and have remained reduced for as long as 3 weeks. Growth of 16 different stock culture anaerobes was generally equivalent by the bag and GasPak jar methods. Yield and growth of anaerobic isolates also were equivalent with 7 of 10 clinical specimens; from the other 3 specimens, 13 isolates were recovered, 5 by both the bag and jar methods and the rest by one method or the other. No consistent differences were found between the anaerobic bag and GasPak jar methods in the yield of anaerobes from clinical specimens. Early growth (24 h of incubation) of anaerobes from one specimen was detected with the bag method. PMID:1100671

In a new method of anaerobic culture, a transparent, gas-impermeable bag is used and the anaerobic environment is established with copper sulfate-saturated steel wool. An Alka-Seltzer tablet generates carbon dioxide. The agar plate surface can be inspected through the bag at any time without interrupting the anaerobic atmosphere or disturbing other specimens. Methylene blue indicator strips are completely reduced by 4 h after the bag is set up and have remained reduced for as long as 3 weeks. Growth of 16 different stock culture anaerobes was generally equivalent by the bag and GasPak jar methods. Yield and growth of anaerobic isolates also were equivalent with 7 of 10 clinical specimens; from the other 3 specimens, 13 isolates were recovered, 5 by both the bag and jar methods and the rest by one method or the other. No consistent differences were found between the anaerobic bag and GasPak jar methods in the yield of anaerobes from clinical specimens. Early growth (24 h of incubation) of anaerobes from one specimen was detected with the bag method. Images PMID:1100671

Method and system for processing waste from human activities, including solids, liquids and vapors. A fluid-impermeable bag, lined with a liquid-impermeable but vapor-permeable membrane, defining an inner bag, is provided. A vacuum force is provided to extract vapors so that the waste is moved toward a selected region in the inner bag, extracted vapors, including the waste vapors and vaporized portions of the waste liquids are transported across the membrane, and most or all of the solids remain within the liner. Extracted vapors are filtered, and sanitized components thereof are isolated and optionally stored. The solids remaining within the liner are optionally dried and isolated for ultimate disposal.

Digital Evidence Bags (DEBs) are a mechanism for bundling digital evidence, associated metadata and audit logs into a single structure. DEB-compliant applications can update a DEB's audit log as evidence is introduced into the bag and as data in the bag is processed. This paper investigates native file system support for DEBs, which has a number of benefits over ad hoc modification of digital evidence bags. The paper also describes an API for DEB-enabled applications and methods for providing DEB access to legacy applications through a DEB-aware file system. The paper addresses an urgent need for digital-forensics-aware operating system components that can enhance the consistency, security and performance of investigations.

A rear-seat air bag restraint device is disclosed that prevents an individual, or individuals, from continuing violent actions while being transported in a patrol vehicle`s rear seat without requiring immediate physical contact by the law enforcement officer. The air bag is activated by a control switch in the front seat and inflates to independently restrict the amount of physical activity occurring in the rear seat of the vehicle while allowing the officer to safely stop the vehicle. The air bag can also provide the officer additional time to get backup personnel to aid him if the situation warrants it. The bag is inflated and maintains a constant pressure by an air pump. 8 figs.

A teacher describes the procedures used by students to mount skeletons of small animals. Equipped with ziplock bags and papain, students can make the cumbersome task of mounting more time efficient and easy. (ZWH)

A rear-seat air bag restraint device is disclosed that prevents an individual, or individuals, from continuing violent actions while being transported in a patrol vehicle's rear seat without requiring immediate physical contact by the law enforcement officer. The air bag is activated by a control switch in the front seat and inflates to independently restrict the amount of physical activity occurring in the rear seat of the vehicle while allowing the officer to safely stop the vehicle. The air bag can also provide the officer additional time to get backup personnel to aid him if the situation warrants it. The bag is inflated and maintains a constant pressure by an air pump.

This paper deals with the effects of mechanical factors on the filtration speed of a charge injection type of electrostatic oil filter. The new filter has been proposed by Yanada and his coworkers and it has been demonstrated that the filtration speed can be increased to a great or some degree by injecting charges into oils, but the experimental condition was limited. In this paper, the effects of the number of the projections, the electrode spacing, the applied voltage and the oil temperature on the filtration speed are examined using a simple filter model and various types of oil. In order to discuss the effects of those mechanical factors on the filtration speed, numerical simulation of electrostatic field between electrodes is done and the oil flow caused between the electrodes due to ion drag phenomenon, called the ion drag flow in the paper, is observed using a charge coupled devise (CCD) camera and is analyzed using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The experiments and numerical simulation make clear the effects of the mechanical factors on the filtration speed. An optimal electrode configuration and operating condition are found out.

The Kerr-Newman (KN) black hole (BH) solution exhibits the external gravitational and electromagnetic field corresponding to that of the Dirac electron. For the large spin/mass ratio, a ≫ m, the BH loses horizons and acquires a naked singular ring creating two-sheeted topology. This space is regularized by the Higgs mechanism of symmetry breaking, leading to an extended particle that has a regular spinning core compatible with the external KN solution. We show that this core has much in common with the known MIT and SLAC bag models, but has the important advantage of being in accordance with the external gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the KN solution. A peculiar two-sheeted structure of Kerr's gravity provides a framework for the implementation of the Higgs mechanism of symmetry breaking in configuration space in accordance with the concept of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model. Similar to other bag models, the KN bag is flexible and pliant to deformations. For parameters of a spinning electron, the bag takes the shape of a thin rotating disk of the Compton radius, with a ring-string structure and a quark-like singular pole formed at the sharp edge of this disk, indicating that the considered lepton bag forms a single bag-string-quark system.

Multiple aperture InSAR (MAI) is a technique to obtain along-track displacements from InSAR phase data. Because InSAR measurements are insensitive to along-track displacements, it is only possible to retrieve them using none-interferometric approaches, either pixel-offset tracking or using data from different orbital configurations and assuming continuity/ displacement model. These approaches are limited by precision and data acquisition conflicts, respectively. MAI is promising in this respect as its precision is better than the former and its data is available whether additional acquisitions are there or not. Here we study the MAI noise and develop a filter to reduce it. We test the filtering with empirical noise and simulated signal data. Below we describe the filtered results single interferogram precision, and a Kalman filter approach for MAI time series. We use 14 interferograms taken over the larger Los Angeles/San Gabrial Mountains area in CA. The interferograms include a variety of decorrelation sources, both terrain-related (topographic variations, vegetation and agriculture), and imaging-related (spatial and temporal baselines of 200-500m and 1-12 months, respectively). Most of the pixels are in the low to average coherence range (below 0.7). The data were collected by ESA and made available by the WInSAR consortium. We assume the data contain “zero” along-track signal (less then the theoretical 4 cm for our coherence range), and use the images as 14 dependent realizations of the MAI noise. We find a wide distribution of phase values σ = 2-3 radians (wrapped). We superimpose a signal on our MAI noise interferograms using along-track displacement (-88 - 143 cm) calculated for the 1812 Wrightwood earthquake. To analyze single MAI interferograms, we design an iterative quantile-based filter and test it on the noise+signal MAI interferograms. The residuals reveal the following MAI noise characteristics: (1) a constant noise term, up to 90 cm (2) a

BAG proteins are molecular chaperone regulators that affect diverse cellular pathways. All members share a conserved motif, called the ''BAG domain'' (BD), which binds to Hsp70/Hsc70 family proteins and modulates their activity. We have determined the solution structure of BD from BAG4/SODD (Bcl-2 ? Associated Athanogene / Silencer of Death Domains) by multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance methods and compared it to the corresponding domain in BAG1 (Briknarova et al., Nature Struct. Biol. 8:349-352). The difference between BDs from these two BAG proteins is striking and the structural comparison defines two subfamilies of mammalian BD-containing proteins. One subfamily includes the closely related BAG3, BAG4 and BAG5 proteins, and the other is represented by BAG1 which contains a structurally and evolutionarily distinct BD. BDs from both BAG1 and BAG4 are three-helix bundles; however, in BAG4, each helix in this bundle is three to four turns shorter than its counterpart in BAG1, which reduces the length of the domain by one-third. BAG4 BD thus represents a prototype of the minimal functional fragment that is capable of binding to Hsc70 and modulating its chaperone activity.

The Kerr–Newman (KN) black hole (BH) solution exhibits the external gravitational and electromagnetic field corresponding to that of the Dirac electron. For the large spin/mass ratio, a ≫ m, the BH loses horizons and acquires a naked singular ring creating two-sheeted topology. This space is regularized by the Higgs mechanism of symmetry breaking, leading to an extended particle that has a regular spinning core compatible with the external KN solution. We show that this core has much in common with the known MIT and SLAC bag models, but has the important advantage of being in accordance with the external gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the KN solution. A peculiar two-sheeted structure of Kerr’s gravity provides a framework for the implementation of the Higgs mechanism of symmetry breaking in configuration space in accordance with the concept of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model. Similar to other bag models, the KN bag is flexible and pliant to deformations. For parameters of a spinning electron, the bag takes the shape of a thin rotating disk of the Compton radius, with a ring–string structure and a quark-like singular pole formed at the sharp edge of this disk, indicating that the considered lepton bag forms a single bag–string–quark system.

The "black bag" is outgrowth of astronaut monitoring technology from NASA's Johnson Space Center. Technically known as the portable medical status system, a highly advanced physician's "black bag" weighs less than 30 pounds, yet contains equipment for monitoring and recording vital signs, electrocardiograms, and electroencephalograms. Liquid crystal displays are used to present 15 digits of data simultaneously for long periods of time without excessive use of battery power. Single printed circuit card contains all circuitry required to measure and display vital signs such as heart and respiration rate, temperature, and blood pressure.

Bagging and boosting are two of the most well-known ensemble learning methods due to their theoretical performance guarantees and strong experimental results. However, these algorithms have been used mainly in batch mode, i.e., they require the entire training set to be available at once and, in some cases, require random access to the data. In this paper, we present online versions of bagging and boosting that require only one pass through the training data. We build on previously presented work by presenting some theoretical results. We also compare the online and batch algorithms experimentally in terms of accuracy and running time.

... where appropriate plant personnel will be able to hear it. (e) For a positive-pressure fabric filter... filter, the bag leak detector must be installed downstream of the fabric filter. If multiple bag leak detectors are required (for either type of fabric filter), detectors may share the system...

... where appropriate plant personnel will be able to hear it. (e) For a positive-pressure fabric filter... filter, the bag leak detector must be installed downstream of the fabric filter. If multiple bag leak detectors are required (for either type of fabric filter), detectors may share the system...

Discusses the artwork of a Hawaiian artist named Moses who made hats out of paper bags by twisting, crumbling, and other methods. Designs were inspired by a person, event, or idea. Provides a list of project ideas based on the work of Moses. (CMK)

A regolith container to be used as a fundamental building block in radiation protection of a habitable lunar base was designed. Parameters for the container are its: size, shape, material, and structural design. Also, a machine was designed to fill the regolith container which is capable of grasping and opening an empty container, filling it, closing it when full, and depositing it on the surface of the Moon. The simple design will bag lunar soil in a relatively short amount of time, with a low equipment weight, and with moving parts distanced from the dirt. The bags are made out of Kevlar 149 with a fabric weight of 6 oz. per square yard. All machine parts are composed of aluminum 6061-T6. Assuming that the vehicle runs at 7 km/hr for 8 hours a day, the machine will bag the necessary 450 cu m of soil in about 12 days. The total mass of the bags and the machine to be shipped to the Moon will be 687 kg. The cost of shipping this weight will be $6.23 million.

A study was executed to determine the potential of storing farmers stock peanuts and shelled peanuts for crushing in hermetically sealed grain bags. The objectives of the study were to evaluate equipment for loading and unloading the grain bags, the capacity of the grain bags, and the changes in qu...

Chemical reactions involving ozone of outdoor origin and indoor materials are known to be significant sources of formaldehyde and other irritant gas-phase oxidation products in the indoor environment. HVAC filters are exposed to particularly high ozone concentrations--close to outdoor levels. In this study, we investigated chemical processes taking place on the surface of filters that included fiberglass, polyester, cotton/polyester blend and synthetic (e.g., polyolefin) filter media. Ozone reactions were studied on unused filter media, and on filters that were deployed for 3 months in two different locations: at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and at the Port of Oakland. Specimens from each filter were exposed to ozone under controlled conditions in a laboratory flow tube at a constant flow of dry or humidified air (50percent relative humidity). Ozone was generated with a UV source upstream of the flow tube, and monitored using a photometric detector. Ozone breakthrough curves were recorded for each sample exposed to ~;;150 ppbv O3 for periods of ~;;1000 min, from which we estimated their uptake rate. Most experiments were performed at 1.3 L/min (corresponding to a face velocity of 0.013 m/s), except for a few tests performed at a higher airflow rate, to obtain a face velocity of 0.093 m/s, slightly closer to HVAC operation conditions. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, two oxidation byproducts, were collected downstream of the filter and quantified. Emissions of these volatile aldehydes were consistently higher under humidified air than under dry conditions, at which levels were near the limit of detection. Our results confirm that there are significant reactions of ozone as air containing ozone flows through HVAC filters, particularly when the filters are loaded with particles and the air is humidified. The amount of ozone reacted was not clearly related to the types of filter media, e.g., fiberglass versus synthetic. Specific fiberglass filters that were

Inappropriate school bags put students at risk of musculoskeletal problems and early fatigue. Heavy bags can change the body posture and the musculoskeletal system must react appropriately in order to compensate for this stress. It is recommended that the weight of a school bag must not be more than 10% of the student's body weight and the weight must be placed on both shoulders. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders by comparing the prevalence of musculoskeletal pains among the students. The present descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in different educational districts of Shiraz. The study samples were selected using cluster sampling method. In this study, 800 students marked their painful areas on body maps and the SPSS statistical software (v. 11.5) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that among the students who used backpacks, 48.9% carried the weight on both shoulders, 40.4% carried the weight on their right shoulders, and 10.6% used their left shoulders. Besides, 68.02% of the students carrying handbags often used their right shoulders, while 31.98% used their left shoulders. The study results showed that similar to other countries, Iranian students also mostly made use of backpacks. Moreover, the musculoskeletal pains were most prevalent in the shoulders, which is in line with many other studies conducted on the issue. PMID:25911845

Bag is a miniature pcap filter which takes pcap input (or input off the wire) using a bpf filter, if specified, and then writes the output to stdout or a file (in pcap format). It depends for some aspects of its functionality on a libpcap library which uses a shared memory packet capture ring bugger. There are two build in modules: chcksum and session. the build in chcksum modules is used to anonymize the ipmore » addresses and repair any checksums in the stream. % bag -r /tmp/*.pcap -Cchucksum, 128.1 65: 10.10 The session module generates sessions which are defined as a series of packets that have two things in common. the first is a unique five-tuple composed oi an IP protocol, IP source address, IP source port, IP destination address, and IP destination port. The second is that if the originating packet is associated with a bi-directional service such as ftpltcp, characteristics and data will be kept for both flows involved with the service. The only protocols evaluated beyond the IP header are ICMP, TCP and UDP. A session can last for as long as bag is running. However, under normal conditions, sessions are generated every time they appear to have closed down. There is a man page included with the distribution which goes into more detail.« less

Bag is a miniature pcap filter which takes pcap input (or input off the wire) using a bpf filter, if specified, and then writes the output to stdout or a file (in pcap format). It depends for some aspects of its functionality on a libpcap library which uses a shared memory packet capture ring bugger. There are two build in modules: chcksum and session. the build in chcksum modules is used to anonymize the ip addresses and repair any checksums in the stream. % bag -r /tmp/*.pcap -Cchucksum, 128.1 65: 10.10 The session module generates sessions which are defined as a series of packets that have two things in common. the first is a unique five-tuple composed oi an IP protocol, IP source address, IP source port, IP destination address, and IP destination port. The second is that if the originating packet is associated with a bi-directional service such as ftpltcp, characteristics and data will be kept for both flows involved with the service. The only protocols evaluated beyond the IP header are ICMP, TCP and UDP. A session can last for as long as bag is running. However, under normal conditions, sessions are generated every time they appear to have closed down. There is a man page included with the distribution which goes into more detail.

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is a rare disorder seen in elderly persons, wherein the urinary bag and the tubing turn in to purple colour. It is usually seen in patients who are on urinary catheters for a long time. Purple coloured urine occurs due to the accumulation of indigo and indirubin, which are the end products of tryptophan metabolism due to the action of sulfatases and phosphatases formed by bacteria like Providencia, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella etc. We present this interesting phenomenon of purple urine in a young male who was on prolonged urinary catheterization. The urine culture was positive for Providencia and constipation was an added risk factor for the purple urine. The urinary catheter and tubing was changed along with a course of antibiotics which lead to the normalization of the urine colour. PMID:26435987

This is an account of an unusual case of purple discoloration of plastic disposable urethral catheters and urine collecting bags. The likely causes are discussed with reference to the analogous situation of purple diapers in children. In this instance it appears that the phenomenon may have been due to the presence of indigo in the urine as a degradation product of tryptophan in the bowel lumen. PMID:21293710

A bagging device for transferring material from one chamber through an opening in a wall to a second chamber includes a cylindrical housing communicating with the opening and defining a passage between the chambers. A cylindrical cartridge is slidably received within the housing. The cartridge has a substantially rigid cylindrical sleeve to which is affixed a pliable tube. The pliable tube is positioned concentrically about the sleeve and has a pleated portion capable of unfolding from the sleeve and a closed end extending over a terminal end of the sleeve. Sealing means are interposed in sealed relationship between the cartridge and the housing. Material from one chamber is inserted into the cartridge secured in the housing and received in the closed end of the tube which unfolds into the other chamber enclosing the material therein. The tube may then be sealed behind the material and then severed to form a bag-like enclosure defined by the tube's closed terminal end and the new seal. The new seal then forms a terminal end for the unsevered portion of the pliable tube into which additional material may be placed and the bagging process repeated.

The temperature measurement by the analysis of Rayleigh scattered laser radiation with atomic vapor filters is investigated in both theory and laboratory experiments. Synthetic air is irradiated with a cw dye laser at 283 nano-meters, and the backscattered spectrum is analyzed with two lead vapor cells in one oven. Temperature measurements are carried out, and the effect of different parameters on the accuracy is investigated. Important aspects for the realization of a lidar are given.

In conjunction with her school's interest in becoming more "green," this author designed an art project using inexpensive, sturdy, reusable grocery bags. In this article, she describes the different design concepts and art media used by each grade in decorating these bags. (Contains 1 online resource.)

As a result of the concern for the growing number of air-bag-induced injuries and fatalities, the administrators of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agreed to a cooperative effort that "leverages NHTSA's expertise in motor vehicle safety restraint systems and biomechanics with NASAs position as one of the leaders in advanced technology development... to enable the state of air bag safety technology to advance at a faster pace..." They signed a NASA/NHTSA memorandum of understanding for NASA to "evaluate air bag to assess advanced air bag performance, establish the technological potential for improved technology (smart) air bag systems, and identify key expertise and technology within the agency (i.e., NASA) that can potentially contribute significantly to the improved effectiveness of air bags." NASA is committed to contributing to NHTSAs effort to: (1) understand and define critical parameters affecting air bag performance; (2) systematically assess air bag technology state of the art and its future potential; and (3) identify new concepts for air bag systems. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was selected by NASA to respond to the memorandum of understanding by conducting an advanced air bag technology assessment. JPL analyzed the nature of the need for occupant restraint, how air bags operate alone and with safety belts to provide restraint, and the potential hazards introduced by the technology. This analysis yielded a set of critical parameters for restraint systems. The researchers examined data on the performance of current air bag technology, and searched for and assessed how new technologies could reduce the hazards introduced by air bags while providing the restraint protection that is their primary purpose. The critical parameters which were derived are: (1) the crash severity; (2) the use of seat belts; (3) the physical characteristics of the occupants; (4) the

Many applications aim to learn a high dimensional parameter of a data generating distribution based on a sample of independent and identically distributed observations. For example, the goal might be to estimate the conditional mean of an outcome given a list of input variables. In this prediction context, bootstrap aggregating (bagging) has been introduced as a method to reduce the variance of a given estimator at little cost to bias. Bagging involves applying an estimator to multiple bootstrap samples, and averaging the result across bootstrap samples. In order to address the curse of dimensionality, a common practice has been to apply bagging to estimators which themselves use cross-validation, thereby using cross-validation within a bootstrap sample to select fine-tuning parameters trading off bias and variance of the bootstrap sample-specific candidate estimators. In this article we point out that in order to achieve the correct bias variance trade-off for the parameter of interest, one should apply the cross-validation selector externally to candidate bagged estimators indexed by these fine-tuning parameters. We use three simulations to compare the new cross-validated bagging method with bagging of cross-validated estimators and bagging of non-cross-validated estimators. PMID:19255599

Solid-state {sup 1}H magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR was used to investigate sulfonated Diels-Alder poly(phenlylene) polymer membranes. Under high spinning speed {sup 1}H MAS conditions, the proton environments of the sulfonic acid and phenylene polymer backbone are resolved. A double-quantum (DQ) filter using the rotor-synchronized back-to-back (BABA) NMR multiple-pulse sequence allowed the selective suppression of the sulfonic proton environment in the {sup 1}H MAS NMR spectra. This DQ filter in conjunction with a spin diffusion NMR experiment was then used to measure the domain size of the sulfonic acid component within the membrane. In addition, the temperature dependence of the sulfonic acid spin-spin relaxation time (T{sub 2}) was determined, providing an estimate of the activation energy for the proton dynamics of the dehydrated membrane.

On Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1) , air bags are installed on the lander. The airbags will inflate to cushion the landing of the spacecraft on the surface of Mars. When it stops bouncing and rolling, the airbags will deflate and retract, the petals will open to bring the lander to an upright position, and the rover will be exposed. NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-1 is scheduled to launch June 25 as MER-B aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The aim of the work is to verify the diffusion rate of ammonia through the Nalophan™ film that constitutes the sampling bag, considering storage times ranging from 1 to 26 h. The ammonia decay over time was evaluated using gas-chromatography for the quantification of ammonia concentration inside the bag. The research assesses the roles of both of ammonia and water concentration gradients at the polymeric film interface on the diffusion process. The results show that both the ammonia concentration gradient and, in a less pronounced way, the water concentration gradient are the main 'engines' of ammonia diffusion. Double bags seem to represent a simple solution for preventing ammonia losses during storage. Another interesting result concerns the role of the bag surface on the ammonia diffusion rate: the higher the surface/volume (S/V) ratio, the higher the ammonia diffusion rate through the polymeric film. PMID:24552718

Presents a modification of a procedure for making and launching hot air balloons made out of garbage bags. Student instructions for balloon construction, launching instructions, and scale diagrams are included. (DDR)

An investigation of pilot-induced oscillation suppression (PIOS) filters was performed using the USAF/Flight Dynamics Laboratory variable stability NT-33 aircraft, modified and operated by Calspan. This program examined the effects of PIOS filtering on the longitudinal flying qualities of fighter aircraft during the visual approach and landing task. Forty evaluations were flown to test the effects of different PIOS filters. Although detailed analyses were not undertaken, the results indicate that PIOS filtering can improve the flying qualities of an otherwise unacceptable aircraft configuration (Level 3 flying qualities). However, the ability of the filters to suppress pilot-induced oscillations appears to be dependent upon the aircraft configuration characteristics. Further, the data show that the filters can adversely affect landing flying qualities if improperly designed. The data provide an excellent foundation from which detail analyses can be performed.

Litter bags with various mesh sizes are common method to investigate role of individual size classes of soil organisms on litter decomposition in particular in investigation of fauna effect. These experiments showed that fauna in generally increased litter loss from the bags, which is interpreted as positive effect of fauna on decomposition. If the litter is presented in fine bags, all loss from the bags is likely to occur as CO2 or leaching however, in fauna accessible bags substantial amount of organic matter may loss bags as fauna excitements either because fauna migration out of the bag or just because excrement may mechanically fall out of the bag. Fauna have low assimilation efficiency so these excrements contain large amount of organic matter which is in fact not decomposed but just moved in soil profile. In order to detect this specialized microcosms techniques was applied, using two layer microcosms with litter and mineral layer, this techniques allow to measure not only amount of c that was lost from the litter bag nut also amount of c that accumulate below the bag. Thirteen experiments using these techniques in various parts of the world are revived here, these experiments showed no positive effect of fauna on C loss from the system but positive effect of fauna in litter removal from soil surface and its accumulation in mineral soil.

Purple urine bag syndrome is a relatively unknown phenomenon in which the urine bag and the collector of chronically catheterized patients turn purple or blue. It affects predominantly women, and is mainly reported in elderly patients. The mechanism seems to be related to the appearance in the urine of two compounds that have been identified as indigo (blue) and indirubin (red) which bind to the urine bag and the collector. Several associated factors are usually mentioned such as constipation, alkaline urine, bed rest, institutionalization or cognitive impairment. They are risk factor of this phenomenon. On the other hand, an infection or a urinary bacterial colonization is necessary and high bacterial counts seem to be the critical step in the development of the purple urine bag syndrome. We report on two cases of purple urine bag syndrome observed in two patients being treated in a long-term care unit. Both of whom were diagnosed with indwelling urinary bacterial colonization, with Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. PMID:22414392

The biosand filter (BSF) is an intermittently operated, household-scale slow sand filter for which little data are available on the effect of sand composition on treatment performance. Therefore, bench-scale columns were prepared according to the then-current (2006-2007) guidance on BSF design and run in parallel to conduct two microbial challenge experiments of eight-week duration. Triplicate columns were loaded with Accusand silica or crushed granite to compare virus and E. coli reduction performance. Bench-scale experiments provided confirmation that increased schmutzdecke growth, as indicated by decline in filtration rate, is the primary factor causing increased E. coli reductions of up to 5-log10. However, reductions of challenge viruses improved only modestly with increased schmutzdecke growth. Filter media type (Accusand silica vs. crushed granite) did not influence reduction of E. coli bacteria. The granite media without backwashing yielded superior virus reductions when compared to Accusand. However, for columns in which the granite media was first backwashed (to yield a more consistent distribution of grains and remove the finest size fraction), virus reductions were not significantly greater than in columns with Accusand media. It was postulated that a decline in surface area with backwashing decreased the sites and surface area available for virus sorption and/or biofilm growth and thus decreased the extent of virus reduction. Additionally, backwashing caused preferential flow paths and deviation from plug flow; backwashing is not part of standard BSF field preparation and is not recommended for BSF column studies. Overall, virus reductions were modest and did not meet the 5- or 3-log10 World Health Organization performance targets. PMID:26308036

The biosand filter (BSF) is an intermittently operated, household-scale slow sand filter for which little data are available on the effect of sand composition on treatment performance. Therefore, bench-scale columns were prepared according to the then-current (2006–2007) guidance on BSF design and run in parallel to conduct two microbial challenge experiments of eight-week duration. Triplicate columns were loaded with Accusand silica or crushed granite to compare virus and E. coli reduction performance. Bench-scale experiments provided confirmation that increased schmutzdecke growth, as indicated by decline in filtration rate, is the primary factor causing increased E. coli reductions of up to 5-log10. However, reductions of challenge viruses improved only modestly with increased schmutzdecke growth. Filter media type (Accusand silica vs. crushed granite) did not influence reduction of E. coli bacteria. The granite media without backwashing yielded superior virus reductions when compared to Accusand. However, for columns in which the granite media was first backwashed (to yield a more consistent distribution of grains and remove the finest size fraction), virus reductions were not significantly greater than in columns with Accusand media. It was postulated that a decline in surface area with backwashing decreased the sites and surface area available for virus sorption and/or biofilm growth and thus decreased the extent of virus reduction. Additionally, backwashing caused preferential flow paths and deviation from plug flow; backwashing is not part of standard BSF field preparation and is not recommended for BSF column studies. Overall, virus reductions were modest and did not meet the 5- or 3-log10 World Health Organization performance targets. PMID:26308036

Neospora caninum is an Apicomplexan parasite that causes repeated abortion and stillbirth in cattle. The aim of this study was to clone the gene encoding the N. caninum orthologue (NcBAG1) of the Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite-specific protein TgBAG1 and characterize its expression pattern in the parasite. Isolation of the full-length 684-bp gene revealed that it shared 78.3% sequence similarity with TgBAG1. NcBAG1 encodes a predicted protein of 227 amino acids with 80.3% similarity to TgBAG1. A putative signal peptide sequence and an invariant GVL motif characteristic of small heat-shock proteins were identified in the predicted N. caninum amino acid sequence. We expressed the NcBAG1 gene as a recombinant glutathione S-transferase fusion protein (rNcBAG1) in Escherichia coli and used the purified 60 kDa protein to obtain a monoclonal antibody (Mab). rNcBAG1 reacted to Mabs specific for NcBAG1 and TgBAG1. No reaction between the NcBAG1 Mab and N. caninum tachyzoites was observed. Although the predicted molecular mass of NcBAG1 is 25 kDa, Western blot analysis of parasite lysates using the NcBAG1 Mab revealed a cross-reactive protein of approximately 30 kDa. Additionally, immunofluorescence assays using the tachyzoite-specific Mab for NcSAG1 and the bradyzoite-specific Mab for TgBAG1 or NcSAG4 revealed NcBAG1-specific expression in bradyzoites in cultures exposed to sodium nitroprusside, a reagent that increases the frequency of bradyzoites. Interestingly, the NcBAG1 protein was identified in the cytoplasm of the bradyzoite-stage parasites. This preliminary analysis of the NcBAG1 gene will assist investigations into the role of this protein in N. caninum . PMID:23245337

Gravitational and electromagnetic (EM) field of electron is described by the Kerr-Newman (KN) black hole solution with a topological defect. Regularization of this defect by the Higgs field leads to the smooth source which shares much in common with the known MIT- and SLAC- bag models, but has the advantage, of matching gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the electron. This model is flexible, and the rotating KN bag takes the shape of a thin disk with a circular string positioned on the sharp border of the disk. We consider the lowest excitations of the KN solution and the corresponding deformations of the bag surface, setting a preliminary correspondence with electroweak sector of the SM.

To investigate the effect of Rayleigh-Taylor wave number in the region of maximum cross stream dimension (NRT) on drop breakup morphology, the breakup properties of accelerating low viscosity liquid drops (water and ethanol drops, diameter=1.2-6.6 mm, Weber number=10-80) were investigated using high-speed digital photography. The results of morphological analysis show a good correlation of the observed breakup type with NRT; bag breakup occurred when NRT was 1/√3 -1, bag-stamen breakup at 1-2, and dual-bag breakup at 2-3. The number of nodes in bag breakup, bag-stamen breakup, and dual-bag breakup all increased with Weber number. The experimental results are consistent with the model estimates and in good agreement with those reported in the literature.

The influence of the medium-dependent finite width of quark gluon plasma (QGP) bags on their equation of state is analyzed within an exactly solvable model. It is argued that the large width of the QGP bags not only explains the observed deficit in the number of hadronic resonances but also clarifies the reason why the heavy QGP bags cannot be directly observed as metastable states in a hadronic phase. The model allows us to estimate the minimal value of the width of QGP bags being heavier than 2 GeV from a variety of the lattice QCD data and get that the minimal resonance width at zero temperature is about 600 MeV, whereas the minimal resonance width at the Hagedorn temperature is about 2000 MeV. As shown, these estimates are almost insensitive to the number of the elementary degrees of freedom. The recent lattice QCD data are analyzed and it is found that in addition to the {sigma}T{sup 4} term the lattice QCD pressure contains T-linear and T{sup 4}lnT terms in the range of temperatures between 240 and 420 MeV. The presence of the last term in the pressure bears almost no effect on the width estimates. Our analysis shows that at high temperatures the average mass and width of the QGP bags behave in accordance with the upper bound of the Regge trajectory asymptotics (the linear asymptotics), whereas at low temperatures they obey the lower bound of the Regge trajectory asymptotics (the square root one). Since the model explicitly contains the Hagedorn mass spectrum, it allows us to remove an existing contradiction between the finite number of hadronic Regge families and the Hagedorn idea of the exponentially growing mass spectrum of hadronic bags.

This paper presents experimental results of pressure drop measurements on 30, 50, and 80 pores per inch (PPI) commercial alumina ceramic foam filters (CFF) and compares the obtained pressure drop profiles to numerically modeled values. In addition, it is aimed at investigating the adequacy of the mathematical correlations used in the analytical and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. It is shown that the widely used correlations for predicting pressure drop in porous media continuously under-predict the experimentally obtained pressure drop profiles. For analytical predictions, the negative deviations from the experimentally obtained pressure drop using the unmodified Ergun and Dietrich equations could be as high as 95 and 74 pct, respectively. For the CFD predictions, the deviation to experimental results is in the range of 84.3 to 88.5 pct depending on filter PPI. Better results can be achieved by applying the Forchheimer second-order drag term instead of the Brinkman-Forchheimer drag term. Thus, the final deviation of the CFD model estimates lie in the range of 0.3 to 5.5 pct compared to the measured values.

This paper presents experimental results of pressure drop measurements on 30, 50, and 80 pores per inch (PPI) commercial alumina ceramic foam filters (CFF) and compares the obtained pressure drop profiles to numerically modeled values. In addition, it is aimed at investigating the adequacy of the mathematical correlations used in the analytical and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. It is shown that the widely used correlations for predicting pressure drop in porous media continuously under-predict the experimentally obtained pressure drop profiles. For analytical predictions, the negative deviations from the experimentally obtained pressure drop using the unmodified Ergun and Dietrich equations could be as high as 95 and 74 pct, respectively. For the CFD predictions, the deviation to experimental results is in the range of 84.3 to 88.5 pct depending on filter PPI. Better results can be achieved by applying the Forchheimer second-order drag term instead of the Brinkman-Forchheimer drag term. Thus, the final deviation of the CFD model estimates lie in the range of 0.3 to 5.5 pct compared to the measured values.

Two new types of conducting bags were tested for aerosol particle storage and sampling, a 3M Company Velostat bag and a bag constructed from 3M Type 2100 Static Shielding Film. The half-lives of unipolar, unit-charged 0.025 m, 0.050 m and 0.090 m sized aerosol particles stored in the Velostat bag and the film bag were 130, 190 and 270 min and 40, 70 and 180 min, respectively. These results depend upon the history of bag filling. The values given here apply to bags which had not previously been filled on the day of experimentation. The lifetimes exhibited by the aerosol particles stored in the Velostat bag are the longest found to data.

Art objects are often unique reflections of a culture. Procedures are described for having intermediate or secondary level students make a parfleche, a form of carrying case used by the Plains Indians. Materials for making the parfleche include two large grocery bags, pencil, white glue, wax crayons, string, and water. (RM)

Recently, the FB-Line bagout material was changed to simplify the processing of sand, slag, and crucible.The results of the strength tests and the outgassing measurements and calculations demonstrate that the proposed replacement nylon bag materials (HRMP and orange anti-static material) are acceptable substitutes for LDPE and the original nylon with respect to mechanical properties.

... Sampling in the Administration of the Act § 201.41 Bags. (a) For lots of six bags or fewer, each bag shall be sampled. A total of at least five trierfuls shall be taken. (b) For lots of more than six...

Bag silos have grown in popularity among dairy producers. However, there has not been much information on density and losses in such silos. In a survey of bag silos made at three research farms, we found that density was most affected by dry matter content, particle size and bagging machine setup. D...

The saxitoxins are potent neurotoxins, which can be produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. This study assessed the fate of five saxitoxins variants through biologically active laboratory filters containing media sourced from the filters beds of two water treatment plants (WTPs). Decreases in the concentration of the less toxic variants coincided with increases in the concentrations of the more toxic variants through the filters containing anthracite sourced from two different WTPs. No changes in toxin concentrations were evident through parallel filters containing sand. The results strongly suggest that organisms within the biofilm of the anthracite filters possessed the ability to biotransform the saxitoxins variants, which has important implications for drinking water treatment, particularly since this has the potential to increase the toxicity of the filtered water.

Liquid crystal Fabry-Perot tunable filters are investigated in detail, with special attention to their manufacturability, design, tolerances, and polarization independence. The calculations were performed both numerically and analytically using the 4×4 propagation matrix method. A simplified analytic expression for the propagation matrix is derived for the case of nematic LC in the homogeneous geometry. At normal incidence, it is shown that one can use the 2×2 Abeles matrix method; however, at oblique incidence, the 4×4 matrix method is needed. The effects of dephasing originating from wedge or noncollimated light beams are investigated. Due to the absorption of the indium tin oxide layer and as an electrode, its location within the mirror multilayered stack is very important. The optimum location is found to be within the stack and not on its top or bottom. Finally, we give more detailed experimental results of our polarization-independent configuration that uses polarization diversity with a Wollaston prism. PMID:25322437

A compact dual-mode microstrip bandpass filter using geometrical slot is presented in this paper. The adopted geometrical slot is based on first iteration of Cantor square fractal curve. This filter has the benefits of possessing narrower and sharper frequency responses as compared to microstrip filters that use single mode resonators and traditional dual-mode square patch resonators. The filter has been modeled and demonstrated by Microwave Office EM simulator designed at a resonant frequency of 2 GHz using a substrate of εr = 10.8 and thickness of h = 1.27 mm. The output simulated results of the proposed filter exhibit 22 dB return loss, 0.1678 dB insertion loss and 12 MHz bandwidth in the passband region. In addition to the narrow band gained, miniaturization properties as well as weakened spurious frequency responses and blocked second harmonic frequency in out of band regions have been acquired. Filter parameters including insertion loss, return loss, bandwidth, coupling coefficient and external quality factor have been compared with different values of perturbation dimension (d). Also, a full comparative study of this filter as compared with traditional square patch filter has been considered. PMID:27054755

A compact dual-mode microstrip bandpass filter using geometrical slot is presented in this paper. The adopted geometrical slot is based on first iteration of Cantor square fractal curve. This filter has the benefits of possessing narrower and sharper frequency responses as compared to microstrip filters that use single mode resonators and traditional dual-mode square patch resonators. The filter has been modeled and demonstrated by Microwave Office EM simulator designed at a resonant frequency of 2 GHz using a substrate of εr = 10.8 and thickness of h = 1.27 mm. The output simulated results of the proposed filter exhibit 22 dB return loss, 0.1678 dB insertion loss and 12 MHz bandwidth in the passband region. In addition to the narrow band gained, miniaturization properties as well as weakened spurious frequency responses and blocked second harmonic frequency in out of band regions have been acquired. Filter parameters including insertion loss, return loss, bandwidth, coupling coefficient and external quality factor have been compared with different values of perturbation dimension (d). Also, a full comparative study of this filter as compared with traditional square patch filter has been considered. PMID:27054755

The C-terminal BAG domain is thought to play a key role in BAG-1-induced survival and proliferation by mediating protein-protein interactions, for example, with heat shock proteins HSC70 and HSP70, and with RAF-1 kinase. Here, we have identified thioflavin S (NSC71948) as a potential small-molecule chemical inhibitor of these interactions. NSC71948 inhibited the interaction of BAG-1 and HSC70 in vitro and decreased BAG-1:HSC70 and BAG-1:HSP70 binding in intact cells. NSC71948 also reduced binding between BAG-1 and RAF-1, but had no effect on the interaction between two unrelated proteins, BIM and MCL-1. NSC71948 functionally reversed the ability of BAG-1 to promote vitamin D3 receptor-mediated transactivation, an activity of BAG-1 that depends on HSC70/HSP70 binding, and reduced phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activate protein kinase. NSC71948 can be used to stain amyloid fibrils; however, structurally related compounds, thioflavin T and BTA-1, had no effect on BAG-1:HSC70 binding, suggesting that structural features important for amyloid fibril binding and inhibition of BAG-1:HSC70 binding may be separable. We demonstrated that NSC71948 inhibited the growth of BAG-1 expressing human ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells and wild-type, but not BAG-1-deficient, mouse embryo fibroblasts. Taken together, these data suggest that NSC71948 may be a useful molecule to investigate the functional significance of BAG-1 C-terminal protein interactions. However, it is important to recognize that NSC71948 may exert additional "off-target" effects. Inhibition of BAG-1 function may be an attractive strategy to inhibit the growth of BAG-1-overexpressing cancers, and further screens of additional compound collections may be warranted. PMID:19690191

The biokinetic behavior of NH4(+) removal was investigated at different depths of a rapid sand filter treating groundwater for drinking water preparation. Filter materials from the top, middle and bottom layers of a full-scale filter were exposed to various controlled NH4(+) loadings in a continuous-flow lab-scale assay. NH4(+) removal capacity, estimated from short term loading up-shifts, was at least 10 times higher in the top than in the middle and bottom filter layers, consistent with the stratification of Ammonium Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB). AOB density increased consistently with the NH4(+) removal rate, indicating their primarily role in nitrification under the imposed experimental conditions. The maximum AOB cell specific NH4(+) removal rate observed at the bottom was at least 3 times lower compared to the top and middle layers. Additionally, a significant up-shift capacity (4.6 and 3.5 times) was displayed from the top and middle layers, but not from the bottom layer at increased loading conditions. Hence, AOB with different physiological responses were active at the different depths. The biokinetic analysis predicted that despite the low NH4(+) removal capacity at the bottom layer, the entire filter is able to cope with a 4-fold instantaneous loading increase without compromising the effluent NH4(+). Ultimately, this filter up-shift capacity was limited by the density of AOB and their biokinetic behavior, both of which were strongly stratified. PMID:27295615

Two ensemble methods, bagging and boosting, were investigated for improving algorithm performance. Our results confirmed the theoretical explanation [1] that bagging improves unstable, but not stable, learning algorithms. While boosting enhanced accuracy of a weak learner, its behavior is subject to the characteristics of each learning algorithm.

A bagging device for transferring material; specifically contaminated material, from one chamber through an opening in a wall to a second chamber includes a cylindrical housing communicating with the opening and defining a passage between the chambers. A cylindrical cartridge is slidably received within the housing. The cartridge has a substantially rigid cylindrical sleeve to which is affixed a pliable tube. The pliable tube is positioned concentrically about the sleeve and has a pleated portion capable of unfolding from the sleeve and a closed end extending over a terminal end of the sleeve. Sealing means are interposed in sealed relationship between the cartridge and the housing. Material from one chamber is inserted into the cartridge secured in the housing and received in the closed end of the tube which unfolds into the other chamber enclosing the material therein. The tube may then be sealed behind the material and then severed to form a bag-like enclosure defined by the tube's closed terminal end and the new seal. The new seal then forms a terminal end for the unsevered portion of the pliable tube into which additional material may be placed and the bagging process repeated.

A compact circularly polarized (CP) integrated filtering antenna is reported for wearable biotelemetric devices in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. The design is based on a mutual synthesis of a CP patch antenna connected to a bandpass filter composed of coupled stripline open-loop resonators, which provides an integrated low-profile radiating and filtering module with a compact form factor of 0.44λ(0)×0.44λ(0)×0.04λ(0). The optimized filtering antenna is fabricated and measured, achieving an S11 < -14 dB, an axial ratio of less than 3 dB and gain higher than 3.5 dBi in the targeted ISM band. With the integrated filtering functionality, the antenna exhibits good out-of-band rejection over an ultra-wide frequency range of 1-6 GHz. Further full-wave simulations and experiments were carried out, verifying that the proposed filtering antenna maintains these desirable properties even when mounted in close proximity to the human body at different positions. The stable impedance performance and the simultaneous wide axial ratio and radiated power beam widths make it an ideal candidate as a wearable antenna for off-body communications. The additional integrated filtering functionality further improves utility by greatly reducing interference and crosstalk with other existing wireless systems. PMID:26186795

Equations are derived for describing the inhomogeneous equilibrium and small deviations from the equilibrium, giving particular attention to systems with trapped particles. An investigation is conducted of periodic systems with a single trapped-particle water bag, taking into account the behavior of the perturbation equations at the turning points. An outline is provided concerning a procedure for obtaining the eigenvalues. The results of stability calculations connected with the sideband effects are considered along with questions regarding the general applicability of the multiple water-bag approach in stability calculations.

Flattening filter free (FFF) beams due to their non-uniformity, are sub-optimal for larger field sizes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incident electron beam distributions that would produce flat FFF (F4) beams without the use of a flattening filter (FF). Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc codes have been performed to evaluate feasibility of this approach. The dose distributions in water for open 6 MV beams were simulated using the Varian 21EX linac head model, which will be called the FF model. The FF was then removed from the FF model, and MC simulations were performed using (1) 6 MeV electrons incident on the target and (2) a 6 MeV electron beam with electron angular distributions optimized to provide as flat dose profiles as possible. Configuration (1) represents FFF beam while configuration (2) allowed producing a F4 beam. Optimizations have also been performed to produce flattest profiles for a set of dose rates (DRs) in the range from 1.25 to 2.4 of the DR of FF beam. Profiles and percentage depth doses (PDDs) from 6 MV F4 beams have been calculated and compared to those from the FF beam. Calculated profiles demonstrated improved flatness of the FFF beams. In fact, up to field sizes within the circle of 35 cm diameter the flatness of F4 beam at dmax was better or comparable to that of FF beam. At 20 cm off-axis the dose increased from 52% for FFF to 92% for F4 beam. Also, profiles of F4 beams did not change considerably with depth. PDDs from F4 beams were similar to those of the FFF beam. The DR for the largest modeled (44 cm diameter) F4 beam was higher than the DR from FF beam by a factor of 1.25. It was shown that the DR can be increased while maintaining beam flatness, but at the cost of reduced field size.

Electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag has been identified as an effective filter material for the removal of phosphorus (P) from both point and non-point sources. To determine the feasibility of land-applying P saturated EAF steel slag this study was undertaken to investigate (i) saturated EAF steel slag material's potential as a P fertilizer or soil amendment and (ii) P desorption and metals leachate from saturated EAF steel slag material to surface runoff. Medicago sativa (alfalfa) was planted in a nutrient depleted washed sand media. Phosphorus was added either as saturated EAF steel slag or as a standard commercial phosphate fertilizer in order to assess the plant availability of the P from saturated EAF steel slag. Four different P application levels were tested: a low (20 lbs acre furrow slice(-1) (5.5 g P m(-3))) two medium (40 and 60 lbs. acre f.s.(-1) (11 and 16.5 g P m(-3))) and a high (120 lbs. acre f.s.(-1) (33 g P m(-3))). The above-ground biomass of half of the plants was harvested after 5 weeks and the second half at 10 weeks. All treatments regardless of the P source used showed high rates of germination. At the first harvest period (5 weeks) significantly higher above-ground biomass (p < 0.01) was seen at the 3 highest P amendment rates in treatments with triple super phosphate fertilizer (TSP) than with EAF steel slag. However, by the second harvest (10 weeks) only the highest amendment rate of TSP showed a significantly higher amount of biomass (p < 0.01), suggesting that EAF steel slag might be an effective slow release P source. In a second experiment, a rain simulator was used to assess desorption of DRP, TP and metals from a saturated and semi-saturated EAF steel slag. The results revealed that the total amounts of DRP and TP released to surface runoff from EAF steel slag were negligible when compared to the total quantities of P retained by this material. Overall the results from this study demonstrated that once the EAF steel slag filter

In this work the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is applied to investigate the flow and transport processes at the macro-dispersion experiment (MADE) site in Columbus, MS. The EnKF is a sequential data assimilation approach that adjusts the unknown model parameter values based on the observed data with time. The classic advection-dispersion (AD) and the dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) models are employed to analyze the tritium plume during the second MADE tracer experiment. The hydraulic conductivity (K), longitudinal dispersivity in the AD model, and mass transfer rate coefficient and mobile porosity ratio in the DDMT model, are estimated in this investigation. Because of its sequential feature, the EnKF allows for the temporal scaling of transport parameters during the tritium concentration analysis. Inverse simulation results indicate that for the AD model to reproduce the extensive spatial spreading of the tritium observed in the field, the K in the downgradient area needs to be increased significantly. The estimated K in the AD model becomes an order of magnitude higher than the in situ flowmeter measurements over a large portion of media. On the other hand, the DDMT model gives an estimation of K that is much more comparable with the flowmeter values. In addition, the simulated concentrations by the DDMT model show a better agreement with the observed values. The root mean square (RMS) between the observed and simulated tritium plumes is 0.77 for the AD model and 0.45 for the DDMT model at 328 days. Unlike the AD model, which gives inconsistent K estimates at different times, the DDMT model is able to invert the K values that consistently reproduce the observed tritium concentrations through all times. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A variety of seals is used to close bags. Each seal has advantages and disadvantages. For shop assistants sealing bags could be a repetitive physically demanding action. Opening and closing the bags again can cause some discomfort or annoyance for consumers. Besides, it is an activity which can endanger safety, i.e., knives being used in opening, children swallowing the systems of sealing. To prevent these problems a new sealing system was developed. In this paper the opinion of shop assistants, consumers and experts on several bag sealing systems was studied. It appeared that for sealing plastic bags, adhesive tape with paper is the best out of 4 systems, closely followed by adhesive tape. It is discussed that for the elderly, there is still room for improvement in opening bag seals. PMID:16219161

Bagging materials are utilized in many composites manufacturing processes. The selection is mainly driven by cost, temperature requirements, chemical compatibility and tear properties of the bag. The air barrier properties of the bag are assumed to be adequate or in many cases are not considered at all. However, the gas barrier property of a bag is the most critical parameter, as it can negatively affect the quality of the final laminate. The barrier property is a function of the bag material, uniformity, thickness and temperature. Improved barrier properties are needed for large parts, high pressure consolidated components and structures where air stays entrapped on the part surface. The air resistance property of the film is defined as permeability and is investigated in this thesis. A model was developed to evaluate the gas transport through the film and an experimental cell was implemented to characterize various commercial films. Understanding and characterizing the transport phenomena through the film allows optimization of the bagging material for various manufacturing processes. Spray-on-Bag is a scalable alternative bagging method compared to standard films. The approach allows in-situ fabrication of the bag on large and complex geometry structures where optimization of the bag properties can be varied on a local level. An experimental setup was developed and implemented using a six axis robot and an automated spraying system. Experiments were performed on a flat surface and specimens were characterized and compared to conventional films. Air barrier properties were within range of standard film approaches showing the potential to fabricate net shape bagging structures in an automated process.

Sunscreen products and some personal care products contain the Ultraviolet (UV) chemical filters, which are entering the surface water. Public concerns about secondary effects of these compounds are growing because of the contamination of the aquatic environment that may reach to potentially toxic concentration levels. This article highlights the reaction of certain UV filters with hypochlorite disinfectant in the presence of sunlight. Due to urbanization and industrialization, use of outdoor plastic swimming pools is increasing. The relatively smaller volume of these pools compared to larger pools may increase the concentration of the UV filters in the pool and their potential interactions with materials of human origin (urine, sweat, cosmetics, skin cells, and hair) to the levels of toxicity concerns for children through the creation of disinfection by products (DBP). Based on our analysis, the minimum concentration levels of 2.85, 1.9, 1.78 and 0.95g/L, respectively, for EHMC, OC, 4-MBC and BP3 UV filters in children pools are predicted. Therefore, this article calls for an urgent investigation of potential toxic effects of the UV filters, the creation of DBPs and their subsequent impacts on human health. PMID:27088731

....6050 Ice bag. (a) Identification. An ice bag is a device intended for medical purposes that is in the form of a container intended to be filled with ice that is used to apply dry cold therapy to an area of... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Ice bag. 880.6050 Section 880.6050 Food and...

....6050 Ice bag. (a) Identification. An ice bag is a device intended for medical purposes that is in the form of a container intended to be filled with ice that is used to apply dry cold therapy to an area of... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Ice bag. 880.6050 Section 880.6050 Food and...

....6050 Ice bag. (a) Identification. An ice bag is a device intended for medical purposes that is in the form of a container intended to be filled with ice that is used to apply dry cold therapy to an area of... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Ice bag. 880.6050 Section 880.6050 Food and...

....6050 Ice bag. (a) Identification. An ice bag is a device intended for medical purposes that is in the form of a container intended to be filled with ice that is used to apply dry cold therapy to an area of... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Ice bag. 880.6050 Section 880.6050 Food and...

....6050 Ice bag. (a) Identification. An ice bag is a device intended for medical purposes that is in the form of a container intended to be filled with ice that is used to apply dry cold therapy to an area of... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ice bag. 880.6050 Section 880.6050 Food and...

In this paper we describe how to include high level semantic information, such as aesthetics and emotions, into Content Based Image Retrieval. We present a color-based emotion-related image descriptor that can be used for describing the emotional content of images. The color emotion metric used is derived from psychophysical experiments and based on three variables: activity, weight and heat. It was originally designed for single-colors, but recent research has shown that the same emotion estimates can be applied in the retrieval of multi-colored images. Here we describe a new approach, based on the assumption that perceived color emotions in images are mainly affected by homogenous regions, defined by the emotion metric, and transitions between regions. RGB coordinates are converted to emotion coordinates, and for each emotion channel, statistical measurements of gradient magnitudes within a stack of low-pass filtered images are used for finding interest points corresponding to homogeneous regions and transitions between regions. Emotion characteristics are derived for patches surrounding each interest point, and saved in a bag-of-emotions, that, for instance, can be used for retrieving images based on emotional content.

The electrodynamic features of quasi-optical bandpass filters based on multilayer microstructured frequency selective surfaces intended for effective spectral selection of subteraherz electromagnetic radiation are considered. As an optimal solution, the multiplex filters are highlighted wherein tripole-slot self-bearing copper microstructures free from dielectric substrates are employed. The results of the experimental development for such filters are presented by the example of structures with resonant transmission at the frequencies of 0.6 and 1 THz, and the details of testing their spectral performance in the range of 0.1-1.5 THz using a BWO spectroscopy technique are described. Good agreement between the experimental data and the results of theoretical predictions is demonstrated.

The report describes the construction and application of a bench-scale, single-bag, experimental filter. It also describes several complementary evaluation procedures and their data. Especially significant are the methods for, and results of, electrical determinations that are no...

BAG3 regulates a number of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the role of BAG3 in renal tubular EMT and renal interstitial fibrosis remains elusive. This study aimed to examine the dynamic expression of BAG3 during renal fibrosis, and to investigate the efficacy of Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) on renal fibrosis. A rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was established, and the expression of BAG3 and α-SMA, and the efficacy of C. sinensis on renal fibrosis induced by UUO were examined. The results showed that UUO led to collagen accumulation, which was significantly suppressed by C. sinensis. UUO increased the expression of BAG3 and α-SMA, a mesenchymal marker, while UUO induced BAG3 and α-SMA expression was significantly inhibited by C. sinensis. In addition, immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that BAG3 immunoreactivity was restricted to tubular epithelium. In conclusion, BAG3 is a potential target for the prevention and/or treatment of renal fibrosis, and C. Sinensis is a promising agent for renal fibrosis. PMID:26175854

Purpose: Flattening filter-free (FFF) x-rays can provide more efficient use of photons and a significant increase of dose rate compared with conventional flattened x-rays, features that are especially beneficial for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). The available data on the entrance doses of the FFF photon beams remain limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the entrance dose of FFF photons in the buildup region and to compare it with that of conventional flattened photons. Methods and Materials: A Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator has been in full clinical operation with 6-MV and 10-MV FFF and flattened x-ray photons. Entrance dose at the surface was measured using a parallel plate ionization chamber in a solid water phantom with buildup depth = 0{approx}15 mm for 6X and 0{approx}25 mm for 10X. Different field size (FS) patterns were created in the Eclipse Treatment Planning System by multileaf collimator (MLC) rather than jaws (FS = 2 Multiplication-Sign 2, 3 Multiplication-Sign 3, 4 Multiplication-Sign 4, 6 Multiplication-Sign 6, and 10 Multiplication-Sign 10 cm{sup 2} by MLC and jaw size = 2.2 Multiplication-Sign 2.2, 3.2 Multiplication-Sign 3.2, 4.2 Multiplication-Sign 4.2, 6 Multiplication-Sign 6, and 10 Multiplication-Sign 10 cm{sup 2}). The smallest FS was about four times larger than the ion chamber dimension. All buildup dose measurements were normalized to FS = 10 Multiplication-Sign 10 cm{sup 2} at the depth of dose maximum (dmax). Results: Good repeatability was demonstrated and surface dose increased linearly with FS for both flattened and FFF photons. The entrance dose of the FFF photons was modestly larger than that of the corresponding flattened photons for both 6X and 10X for different FS ranging from 2 Multiplication-Sign 2 cm{sup 2} to 10 Multiplication-Sign 10 cm{sup 2}. Conclusions: The FFF photons have a higher entrance dose than that of the corresponding flattened photons for FS

Air-sea interaction at extreme winds is of special interest now in connection with the problem of the sea surface drag reduction at the wind speed exceeding 30-35 m/s. This phenomenon predicted by Emanuel (1995) and confirmed by a number of field (e.g., Powell, et al, 2003) and laboratory (Donelan et al, 2004) experiments still waits its physical explanation. Several papers attributed the drag reduction to spume droplets - spray turning off the crests of breaking waves (e.g., Kudryavtsev, Makin, 2011, Bao, et al, 2011). The fluxes associated with the spray are determined by the rate of droplet production at the surface quantified by the sea spray generation function (SSGF), defined as the number of spray particles of radius r produced from the unit area of water surface in unit time. However, the mechanism of spume droplets' formation is unknown and empirical estimates of SSGF varied over six orders of magnitude; therefore, the production rate of large sea spray droplets is not adequately described and there are significant uncertainties in estimations of exchange processes in hurricanes. Herewith, it is unknown what is air-sea interface and how water is fragmented to spray at hurricane wind. Using high-speed video, we observed mechanisms of production of spume droplets at strong winds by high-speed video filming, investigated statistics and compared their efficiency. Experiments showed, that the generation of the spume droplets near the wave crest is caused by the following events: bursting of submerged bubbles, generation and breakup of "projections" and "bag breakup". Statistical analysis of results of these experiments showed that the main mechanism of spray-generation is attributed to "bag-breakup mechanism", namely, inflating and consequent blowing of short-lived, sail-like pieces of the water-surface film. Using high-speed video, we show that at hurricane winds the main mechanism of spray production is attributed to "bag-breakup", namely, inflating and

We conducted studies using a commercial freezer maintained at -17.8°C to determine the time needed to kill Tribolium castaneum eggs in a pallet of flour. Each bag weighed 22.7 kg, and there were 5 bags in each of 10 layers. The dimensions of the pallet were 109-cm wide by 132-cm long by 123-cm tall,...

Drilling fluid density/type is an important factor in drilling and production operations. Most of encountered problems during rotary drilling are related to drilling mud types and weights. This paper aims to investigate the effect of mud weight on filter cake properties and formation damage through two experimental approaches. In the first approach, seven water-based drilling fluid samples with same composition are prepared with different densities (9.0-12.0 lb/gal) and examined to select the optimum mud weight that has less damage. The second approach deals with investigating the possible effect of the different weighting materials (BaSO4 and CaCO3) on filter cake properties. High pressure/high temperature loss tests and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses were carried out on the filter cake (two selected samples). Data analysis has revealed that mud weigh of 9.5 lb/gal has the less reduction in permeability of ceramic disk, among the seven used mud densities. Above 10.5 ppg the effect of the mud weight density on formation damage is stabilized at constant value. Fluids of CaCO3-based weighting material, has less reduction in the porosity (9.14%) and permeability (25%) of the filter disk properties than the BaSO4-based fluid. The produced filter cake porosity increases (from 0.735 to 0.859) with decreasing of fluid density in case of drilling samples of different densities. The filtration loss tests indicated that CaCO3 filter cake porosity (0.52) is less than that of the BaSO4 weighted material (0.814). The thickness of the filter cake of the BaSO4-based fluid is large and can cause some problems. The SEM analysis shows that some major elements do occur on the tested samples (Ca, Al, Si, and Ba), with dominance of Ca on the expense of Ba for the CaCO3 fluid sample and vice versa. The less effect of 9.5 lb/gal mud sample is reflected in the well-produced inter-particle pore structure and relatively crystal size. A general recommendation is given to

Drilling fluid density/type is an important factor in drilling and production operations. Most of encountered problems during rotary drilling are related to drilling mud types and weights. This paper aims to investigate the effect of mud weight on filter cake properties and formation damage through two experimental approaches. In the first approach, seven water-based drilling fluid samples with same composition are prepared with different densities (9.0-12.0 lb/gal) and examined to select the optimum mud weight that has less damage. The second approach deals with investigating the possible effect of the different weighting materials (BaSO4 and CaCO3) on filter cake properties. High pressure/high temperature loss tests and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses were carried out on the filter cake (two selected samples). Data analysis has revealed that mud weigh of 9.5 lb/gal has the less reduction in permeability of ceramic disk, among the seven used mud densities. Above 10.5 ppg the effect of the mud weight density on formation damage is stabilized at constant value. Fluids of CaCO3-based weighting material, has less reduction in the porosity (9.14%) and permeability (25%) of the filter disk properties than the BaSO4-based fluid. The produced filter cake porosity increases (from 0.735 to 0.859) with decreasing of fluid density in case of drilling samples of different densities. The filtration loss tests indicated that CaCO3 filter cake porosity (0.52) is less than that of the BaSO4 weighted material (0.814). The thickness of the filter cake of the BaSO4-based fluid is large and can cause some problems. The SEM analysis shows that some major elements do occur on the tested samples (Ca, Al, Si, and Ba), with dominance of Ca on the expense of Ba for the CaCO3 fluid sample and vice versa. The less effect of 9.5 lb/gal mud sample is reflected in the well-produced inter-particle pore structure and relatively crystal size. A general recommendation is given to

This discussion of various bag/cloth filter degradation mechanisms is mostly common sense. However, this information is occasionally lost in the subtleties of real-system operation. Although this paper is written with reference to fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) applications, the insights are generally applicable. For enumeration of particular filter fabric and baghouse experiences in FBC applications, the reader is referred to a report by Davy McKee Corporatin (no date). A fabric filter is a composite matrix of fibers oriented to retain the dust particles from dust-laden gas. The cleaned gas passes through the fabric filter; the retained dust particles are deposited on the surface of (and within) the fiber matrix. The retained dust can be later removed through mechanical means. The fabric may be made of any fibrous material, spun in yarn, and then woven, impacted, needled, or bonded into a felt. Deep penetration of aggregated fine particles, lack of dust removal during filter cleaning, and chars or condensed aerosols may contribute to the increase in pressure drop across the filter. This increases the filter operation power consumption and, consequently, reduces the filtration capacity. The phenomenon of building a high-pressure drop in spite of filter cleaning provisions is known as blinding. In order to maintain an acceptable gas throughput, blinding problems must be addressed. Recommendations are given: maintain temperature above dew point, use filter aids, by-pass filter during start-up or operational upsets, etc.

We report in the present paper a new modeling method to study multiple species dynamics in magnetized plasmas. Such a method is based on the gyrowater bag modeling, which consists in using a multistep-like distribution function along the velocity direction parallel to the magnetic field. The choice of a water bag representation allows an elegant link between kinetic and fluid descriptions of a plasma. The gyrowater bag model has been recently adapted to the context of strongly magnetized plasmas. We present its extension to the case of multi ion species magnetized plasmas: each ion species being modeled via a multiwater bag distribution function. The water bag modelization will be discussed in details, under the simplification of a cylindrical geometry that is convenient for linear plasma devices. As an illustration, results obtained in the linear framework for ion temperature gradient instabilities are presented, that are shown to agree qualitatively with older works.

The study showed that culturing cucumber with film bag increased cucumber yield by 12.3% - 15.1%, reduced abnormal cucumber by 65.3% - 72.8%, and the shape of cucumber was straight and smooth. The keeping-fresh period of the cucumber prolonged to 20 - 25 days, its vitamin C increased 21.9%, and total sugar increased to 5.1%. Paper bagging increased cucumber yield by 7.2% - 10.1%, and reduced abnormal cucumber by 52.2% - 57.7%. Bag body could efficiently prevent the cucumber from the direct pollution of chemicals spray. The survival pesticides in film and paper bags was 0.760 mg x kg(-1) and 1.2208 mg x kg(-1), reduced by 83.3% and 73.2%, respectively, compared to non-bagging. PMID:15506119

Smaller unit-dose flowthrough bags devised for use with large-volume parenteral (LVP) bags in preparing sterile intravenous solutions. Premeasured amount of solute stored in such unit-dose bag flushed by predetermined amount of water into LVP bag. Relatively small number of LVP bags used in conjunction with smaller unit-dose bags to formulate large number of LVP intravenous solutions in nonsterile environment.

In this paper, it is proposed that the self-filtering unstable resonator (SFUR) is suitable for soft x-ray lasers which have active medium with a short-gain-lifetime. In order to evaluate the idea, we have analyzed the self-filtering unstable resonator in two dimensions with Ne-like Fe soft x-ray active medium for transitions 2p5 3 p → 2p5 3 s and 3d9 4 d → 3d9 4 p at 25.5 nm. The role of field-limiting aperture in mode propagation has been shown. Moreover, beam quality factor M2 has been calculated and output mode behavior studied and compared with a plane-parallel (PP) resonator of equal length. The calculations indicate that the M2 factor in SFUR resonator is smaller than PP resonator and therefore output beam divergence is lower and the mode quality is much better. It is expected that a high quality beam of soft x-ray laser with brightness of the order 1013 W / cm2 sr and energy more than 10 nJ may be achievable with a properly designed diffraction-filtered unstable resonator.

Impurities that are transferred to a crime scene or a body can have a significant negative impact on the investigation if the existence of the contamination is not known, and the source of the contamination is not identified. Forensic consumables, such as DNA swabs, have been known to have caused contaminations, wrongfully linking crimes throughout Europe. In that context, this study focused on body bags, widely used to transfer a corpse from the crime scene to the morgue. Our preliminary survey showed that several countries and Australian Jurisdictions are conducting the sampling of trace evidence at the morgue after the transportation of the body. Potential impurities present in body bags could thus interfere with pertinent traces. The aim of this work was to qualify and quantify the background contamination of trace evidence in body bags used within Australia. Fifteen body bags from four Australian Jurisdictions or laboratories were searched for micro traces. Impurities such as fibres and unidentified particles were detected in each examined body bag, with an estimated average of 3603 coloured fibres and 1429 unidentified particles. This number of fibres is similar to the amount found on a vinyl cinema seat in other studies. Various other contaminants such as pieces of fabric, hairs, parts of insects or feathers were also observed. It is hypothesised that these impurities are introduced during the manufacturing process. This high number of impurities can lead to incorrect conclusions and misleading investigative leads. This paper presents an overview of the problems these impurities can cause and proposes several strategies to prevent future issues. PMID:27484248

During the last four years, a deeper examination of malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases occurred within non asbestos textile industry highlighted asbestos past exposure in several textile industrial divisions. In spite of that, poor information about recycled textile bags previously containing asbestos fibres is available to the National Mesothelioma Registry, although holding a remarkable data bank on more than 3500 work histories and sources of asbestos exposures. Besides the analysis of the exposure circumstances and the registered health effects of the past exposure within the recycling activity, the aim of this research was to relate the possible involvement of the agricultural sector, where the use of recycled jute bags was very diffused. The MM cases were collected from the Mesothelioma Registry of Brescia, asbestosis, pleural plaques and lung cancer cases were collected from the Occupational Diseases Archive of the Local Public Occupational Health Service of the Province of Brescia. During the 1977-2006 period, 8 cases of MM, 4 cases of pulmonary asbestosis, 4 of isolated bilateral pleural plaques and I of lung cancer in pulmonary asbestosis, were observed among workers employed in bags recycling activity in 4 small companies, one of them still operating, employing about 50 workers. Even more, among the 65 MM cases classified by the Registry with "unknown asbestos exposure" (UAE), the most relevant frequency of working histories concerned the agriculture sector. Confirming a past signalling, the investigations underlined the cross linkage between this working activity and the diffusion of recycled bags in the agriculture sector. In the Province of Brescia, the activities of these small jute bags recycling plants were linked, even geographically, to the asbestos cement manufacture plant using a huge number of bags, roughly until mid seventies. Therefore, a large number of these recycled bags, previously containing asbestos, were generally used for harvesting

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations obtained from GRACE play an increasingly important role in various hydrological and hydro-meteorological applications. Since monthly-mean gravity fields are contaminated by errors caused by a number of sources with distinct spatial correlation structures, filtering is needed to remove in particular high frequency noise. Subsequently, bias and leakage caused by the filtering need to be corrected before the final results are interpreted as GRACE-based observations of TWS. Knowledge about the reliability and performance of different post-processing methods is highly important for the GRACE users. In this contribution, we re-assess a number of commonly used post-processing methods using a simulated GRACE-like gravity field time-series based on realistic orbits and instrument error assumptions as well as background error assumptions out of the updated ESA Earth System Model. Two non-isotropic filter methods from Kusche (2007) and Swenson and Wahr (2006) are tested. Rescaling factors estimated from five different hydrological models and the ensemble median are applied to the post-processed simulated GRACE-like TWS estimates to correct the bias and leakage. Since TWS anomalies out of the post-processed simulation results can be readily compared to the time-variable Earth System Model initially used as "truth" during the forward simulation step, we are able to thoroughly check the plausibility of our error estimation assessment and will subsequently recommend a processing strategy that shall also be applied to planned GRACE and GRACE-FO Level-3 products for hydrological applications provided by GFZ. Kusche, J. (2007): Approximate decorrelation and non-isotropic smoothing of time-variable GRACE-type gravity field models. J. Geodesy, 81 (11), 733-749, doi:10.1007/s00190-007-0143-3. Swenson, S. and Wahr, J. (2006): Post-processing removal of correlated errors in GRACE data. Geophysical Research Letters, 33(8):L08402.

Catalyzed diesel particulate filters (CDPFs) reduce the concentration of diesel particulate matter (DPM) and may reduce the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) in diesel exhaust. Asamera Minerals' Cannon Mine first installed CDPFs in 1987 and currently has 12 diesel-powered vehicles equipped with CDPFs. The objectives of this paper are to present results from the Bureau's evaluation of the CDPF, to describe the Cannon Mine's experience and cost analysis of using CDPFs, and to make recommendations for the future use of CDPFs.

The electronic structure of bulk zinc-blende GaAs, zinc-blende and tetragonal CrAs, and CrAs/GaAs supercells, computed within linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) local spin-density functional theory, is used to extract the band alignment for the [1,0,0] GaAs/CrAs interface in dependence of the spin orientation. With the lateral lattice constant fixed to the experimental bulk GaAs value, a local energy minimum is found for a tetragonal CrAs unit cell with a longitudinal ([1,0,0]) lattice constant reduced by ≈2%. Due to the identified spin-dependent band alignment, half-metallicity of CrAs no longer is a key requirement for spin-filtering. Based on these findings, we study the spin-dependent tunneling current in [1,0,0] GaAs/CrAs/GaAs heterostructures within the non-equilibrium Green's function approach for an effective tight-binding Hamiltonian derived from the LMTO electronic structure. Results indicate that these heterostructures are promising candidates for efficient room-temperature all-semiconductor spin-filtering devices.

A radiotracer method to assess insulin binding to commercially available plastic peritoneal dialysis solution containers was developed. A peritoneal dialysis bag (bag 2) was emptied and attached to another full bag (bag 1) of the same kind. In the syringe-to-bag method, bag 1 was symmetrically injected through the bag wall with four syringes containing dialysis solution and radioactive insulin, with or without regular insulin. The radioactivity in each syringe was measured with a gamma counter before injection, and all of the samples were counted afterwards directly in the syringes. Using a bag-to-bag transfer method, bag 1 was agitated, eight samples were taken from different parts through the wall, and then the contents were transferred to bag 2. Bag 2 was then agitated and eight samples were taken and counted. In the bag-pieces method, pieces of bag wall were cut and the radioactivity on the walls was measured to determine the amount of binding. The syringe-to-bag method gave negative results, severely underestimating the amount of insulin binding. The bag-to-bag transfer method yielded positive results in all instances. Increasing the amounts of regular insulin had no demonstrable impact on percent of binding. When the bag-to-bag method was compared with the bag-pieces method, it gave only slightly higher values; however, the bag-to-bag method was considered more reliable because the counting can be controlled more effectively. A 15-minute delay in sampling was not found to influence insulin binding. A reliable method of assessing insulin binding must be based on the following two principles: (1) The transfer of samples to intermediate containers should be avoided, and (2) radiotracer concentrations in the samples should be similar. PMID:6342377

In response to a request from the Duro Bag manufacturing Company, Richwood, Kentucky, an investigation was made of the occurrence of skin rashes and hair loss at the facility. Products included shopping bags, grocery bags, millinery and notion bags, and wrapping paper in the Paper Division. A questionnaire was completed by 215 of 245 hourly production workers. Sixty one of those responding indicated a skin rash in the period since January 1, 1986. Hair loss had been noticed by 12 employees. Significantly elevated relative risks were noted among bag catchers of the plastic division for skin rashes on arms and hands. Increases in skin rashes of the head and neck area occurred among bag catchers, collator tenders, and adjuster supervisors in grocery-bag production areas. Dust levels were below current standards. The authors conclude that the cause of the skin rashes probably is exposure to chemicals used to clean machine parts. The authors recommend specific changes to reduce the occurrence of contact dermatitis, including use of personal protective equipment, good personal hygiene, ventilation systems, dust control, proper humidity for work areas, regular use of skin moisturizers, and proper use of respirators.

This paper describes a study where a new X-ray machine for security screening featuring motion imaging (i.e., 5 views of a bag are shown as an image sequence) was evaluated and compared to single view imaging available on conventional X-ray screening systems. More specifically, it was investigated whether with this new technology X-ray screening of passenger bags could be enhanced to such an extent that laptops could be left inside passenger bags, without causing a significant impairment in threat detection performance. An X-ray image interpretation test was created in four different versions, manipulating the factors packing condition (laptop and bag separate vs. laptop in bag) and display condition (single vs. motion imaging). There was a highly significant and large main effect of packing condition. When laptops and bags were screened separately, threat item detection was substantially higher. For display condition, a medium effect was observed. Detection could be slightly enhanced through the application of motion imaging. There was no interaction between display and packing condition, implying that the high negative effect of leaving laptops in passenger bags could not be fully compensated by motion imaging. Additional analyses were carried out to examine effects depending on different threat categories (guns, improvised explosive devices, knives, others), the placement of the threat items (in bag vs. in laptop) and viewpoint (easy vs. difficult view). In summary, although motion imaging provides an enhancement, it is not strong enough to allow leaving laptops in bags for security screening. PMID:24151457

We theoretically study the transfer function of a finite impulse response microwave photonic filter (FIR-MPF) system using a multi-wavelength fiber laser source by considering multiple longitudinal modes in each wavelength. The full response function with the response from longitudinal mode taps is obtained. We also discussed the influence of the longitudinal mode envelope and mode spacing on the performance of FIR-MPF. The response function of the longitudinal mode taps is fully discussed and the contribution is compared with the response of the carrier suppression factor for double sideband (DSB) modulation. The multiple longitudinal modes structure in the wavelength taps can be utilized to engineer the response of the FIR-MPF such that desirable features such as high side lode suppression ratio can be realized. The analysis provides a guideline for designing incoherent FIR-MPF systems.

Investigated ethnic and gender differences in frequency of use and healthfulness of bag lunches at school. Surveys of middle school students and their parents indicated that one-half of students brought bag lunches, with boys doing so more often than girls. There were ethnic differences in the use of seven foods and whether foods were regular or…

Dual air bags will be required standard equipment in all new passenger cars sold in the United States beginning in 1997 and all light trucks sold in the United States in 1998 but are available now in many earlier-model vehicles. Air bags are designed to supplement the protection provided by safety belts in frontal crashes; when combined with lap and shoulder safety belts, air bags assist in preventing fatal and nonfatal injuries in motor-vehicle crashes. However, passenger-side air bags have been associated with injuries to children who, in almost all cases, were unrestrained or incorrectly restrained in the front seat. In 1993, approximately 1.4 million (0.8% of all vehicles registered) were equipped with passenger-side air bags, compared with an estimated 21.6 million vehicles (11.4% of all vehicles registered) in 1996 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], unpublished data, 1996). NHTSA, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and CDC collaborated with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Air Bag Safety Campaign, the National Safety Council, the Brain Injury Association, the National Association of Governors Highway Safety Representatives, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, and the Health Resources and Services Administration to examine crashes from the Special Crash Investigation Data File maintained by NHTSA, in which fatal injuries in children (aged < 12 years) were associated with passenger-side air bags. This report presents the findings of this review, which indicate that during January 1993-November 1996, annual increases occurred for both the number of fatal injuries to children resulting from air-bag deployments and the proportion of dual air bag-equipped vehicles (Table 1). PMID:8975120

An engaging activity which prompts students to listen, talk, reason and write about geometrical properties. The "Bag of Tricks" encourages students to clarify their thoughts and communicate precisely using accurate mathematical language.

Pumping sediment-laden water from excavations is often necessary on construction sites. This water is often treated by pumping it through geotextile dewatering bags. The bags are not designed to filter the fine sediments that create high turbidity, but dosing with a flocculant prior to the bag could result in greater turbidity control. This study compared two systems for introducing flocculant: passive dosing of commercial solid biopolymer (chitosan) and injection of dissolved polyacrylamide (PAM) in a length of corrugated pipe connected to the bag. The biopolymer system consisted of sequential porous socks containing a "charging agent" followed by chitosan in the corrugated pipe with two levels of dosing. The dissolved PAM was injected into turbid water at a flow-weighted concentration at 1 mg L(-1). For each treatment, sediment-laden turbid water in the range of 2000 to 3500 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) was pumped into the upstream of corrugated pipe and samples were taken from pipe entrance, pipe exit, and dewatering bag exit. Without flocculant treatment, the dewatering bag reduced turbidity by 70% but the addition of flocculant increased the turbidity reduction up to 97% relative to influent. At the pipe exit, the low-dose biopolymer was less effective in reducing turbidity (37%) but it was equally effective as the high-dose biopolymer or PAM injection after the bag. Our results suggest that a relatively simple treatment with flocculants, either passively or actively, can be very effective in reducing turbidity for pumped water on construction sites. PMID:27479237

A bagging device for transferring material from a first chamber through an pening in a wall to a second chamber includes an outer housing communicating with the opening and having proximal and distal ends relative to the wall. An inner housing having proximal and distal ends corresponding to those of the outer housing is mounted in a concentrically spaced, sealed manner with respect to the distal end of the outer housing. The inner and outer housings and mounting means therebetween define an annular chamber, closed at its distal end and open at its proximal end, in which a pliable tube is slidably positioned in sealed engagement with the housings. The pliable tube includes a sealed end positioned adjacent the proximal end of the inner housing so as to maintain isolation between the first and second chambers. Displacement of the material to be bagged from the first chamber along the inner housing so as to contact the sealed portion of the pliable bag allows the material to be positioned within the pliable bag in the second chamber. The bag is then sealed and severed between where the material is positioned therein and the wall in providing a sealed container for handling the material. The pliable tube when substantially depleted slides onto a narrow portion of the inner housing to allow a new pliable tube to be positioned over the old pliable tube. Remnants of the old pliable tube are then discharged into the new pliable tube with the bagging and removal of additional material.

A bagging device for transferring material from a first chamber through an opening in a wall to a second chamber includes an outer housing communicating with the opening and having proximal and distal ends relative to the wall. An inner housing having proximal and distal ends corresponding to those of the outer housing is mounted in a concentrically spaced, sealed manner with respect to the distal end of the outer housing. The inner and outer housings and mounting means therebetween define an annular chamber, closed at its distal end and open at its proximal end, in which a pliable tube is slidably positioned in sealed engagement with the housings. The pliable tube includes a sealed end positioned adjacent the proximal end of the inner housing so as to maintain isolation between the first and second chambers. Displacement of the material to be bagged from the first chamber along the inner housing so as to contact the sealed portion of the pliable bag allows the material to be positioned within the pliable bag in the second chamber. The bag is then sealed and severed between where the material is positioned therein and the wall in providing a sealed container for handling the material. The pliable tube when substantially depleted slides onto a narrow portion of the inner housing to allow a new pliable tube to be positioned over the old pliable tube. Remnants of the old pliable tube are then discharged into the new pliable tube with the bagging and removal of additional material.

... SHIPPERS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SHIPMENTS AND PACKAGINGS Non-bulk Packaging for Hazardous Materials Other... manufacturer has submitted each design type air bag inflator, air bag module, or seat-belt pretensioner to a... or pretensioner design type for which approval is sought and details on the complete package....

... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS...) Definitions. An air bag inflator (consisting of a casing containing an igniter, a booster material, a gas... suitable material, or other dedicated handling devices are authorized for shipment of air bag...

... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS...) Definitions. An air bag inflator (consisting of a casing containing an igniter, a booster material, a gas... suitable material, or other dedicated handling devices are authorized for shipment of air bag...

The vacuum energy of the Yang-Mills field is examined for the conditions of the bag model. The dominance of high-frequency effects results in a vacuum energy that decomposes naturally into a volume energy, a surface energy, and higher shape energies. These quantities are identified with the parameters of the bag model. The imposition of confining boundary conditions for all frequencies is shown to be inconsistent since this would result in the bag constant and certain of the shape tensions being infinite. The manner in which the boundary conditions should be relaxed at high frequency is discussed. The most naive procedure for relaxing the boundary conditions, which is to apply confining conditions only on modes of frequency less than some cutoff frequency, results in a negative bag constant and surface tension and would render the vacuum unstable against the spontaneous breaking of Poincaré invariance. Consideration of the manner by which the interacting electromagnetic field avoids a similar instability suggests that a more realistic way to relax the boundary conditions on the bag surface is to endow the vacuum exterior to the bag with a frequency-dependent dielectric constant and magnetic permeability. In this picture the stability of the vacuum is restored, the surface tension is finite and positive, and the bag constant is zero at least to lowest order in the coupling. It is pointed out that the fermion contributions to the bag constant and the surface tension may relate to the spontaneous breaking of chiral invariance. The aim throughout is to examine the bag model, as it relates to vacuum energy, strictly in its own terms with an emphasis on questions of principle. All too often is heard the alibi that since the theory itself is only approximate, the mathematics need be no better. In truth the opposite follows. Granted that the model represents but a part of nature, we are to find what such an ideal picture implies, a result strictly derived serves to test

Automobile air bags have gained acceptance as an effective measure to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with motor vehicle accidents. As more cars have become equipped with them, new problems have been encountered that are directly attributable to the deployment of the bag itself. An increasing variety of associated injuries has been reported, including minor burns. We present two automobile drivers who were involved in front-impact crashes with air bag inflation. They sustained superficial and partial-thickness burns related to the deployment. The evaluation of these cases shows mechanisms involved in burn injuries caused by the air bag system. Most of the burns are chemical and usually attributed to sodium hydroxide in the aerosol created during deployment. Also direct thermal burns from high-temperature gases or indirect injuries due to the melting of clothing, as well as friction burns from physical contact are possible. However, the inherent risks of air bag-related burns are still outweighed by the benefits of preventing potentially life-threatening injuries. PMID:11226663

A technique of contained morcellation of uterine myomas within a bag specially designed for 2-port morcellation during laparoscopic myomectomy is described. Ten patients underwent in-bag morcellation of myomas with a tissue isolation bag (MorSafe) between November 2014 and January 2015. The MorSafe tissue isolation bag is a retort-shaped bag made of medical-grade flexible plastic material with the wider opening of 134 mm in diameter and the tail end measuring 4 mm in diameter, allowing easy accomodation of specimens up to 12 cm in diameter. This technique involves placing the myomas into the isolation bag within the abdomen, exteriorizing the tail end of the bag, insufflating the bag within the peritoneal cavity, and morcellating the myomas under vision. Demographic and perioperative characteristics were studied. The mean operative time was 117 minutes (range, 75-195 minutes), the mean time for specimen introduction into the bag was 12.5 minutes (range, 7-22 minutes), and the mean time for morcellation and bag removal was 24.8 minutes (range, 10-50 minutes). There were no complications related to the in-bag morcellation technique, and there was no visual evidence of damage to the isolation bag. In-bag morcellation using this new bag is a feasible technique for morcellating uterine myomas in a contained manner and may provide an option to minimize the risks of open power morcellation while preserving the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. PMID:26260302

Summary Background Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plasticized with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is commonly used for blood collection and storage. DEHP has protective effects on RBC membranes, but is also a toxin. Methods A paired study was conducted to investigate the influence of DEHP and two alternative plasticizers, 1,2-cyclohexane-dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH) and n-butyryl-tri-n-hexyl citrate (BTHC), on the preservation of RBCs stored for 42 days in PVC pediatric bags. The RBC membrane was evaluated for supernatant hemoglobin (Hb), release of extracellular microvesicles (EVs), osmotic fragility, deformability, and lipid composition. Results In BTHC-plasticized bags, the supernatant Hb increase during storage was 2 times greater than in DINCH- and DEHP-plasticized bags. By day 21, EV concentrations had doubled from day-5 levels in DINCH- and DEHP-, and trebled in BTHC-plasticized bags. RBC mean cell volumes were greater in BTHC- than in DINCH- or DEHP-plasticized bags (p < 0.001). Osmotic fragility differed significantly among plasticizers (p < 0.01). After day 21, RBC deformability decreased in all, but to a greater extent in the bags with BTHC. Phospholipid composition of RBCs and EVs was not different among plasticizers. Conclusion Membrane stabilization capacity differed among the plasticizers. RBC in BTHC bags stored more poorly, while DEHP and DINCH bags offered better protection against vesiculation, osmotic stress, and Hb loss. PMID:27022319

Increasing environmental concerns and the introduction of technologies based on renewable resources have stimulated the replacement of persistent petroleum-derived plastics with biodegradable plastics from biopolymers. As a consequence, a variety of products are currently manufactured from bioplastic, including carrier bags. This series of studies investigated the deterioration of carrier bags made with Mater-Bi (MB), a starch-based bioplastic, in soil, compost and two aquatic ecosystems, a littoral marsh and seawater. Results from the laboratory study indicated that bioplastic carrier bags were rapidly deteriorated in soil and compost. After three months of incubation, weight loss of specimens was of 37% and 43% in soil and compost, respectively. Conversely, little deterioration was observed in specimens buried in soil under field conditions or exposed to water of a littoral marsh and of the Adriatic Sea. These findings were consistent with the greater number of bacteria and especially fungi capable of degrading MB that were recovered from soil and compost with respect to the two aquatic ecosystems. Considering that a variety of microbial isolates are capable of using MB as a source of carbon, a new alternative to recycle these MB-based carrier bags was explored. More specifically, starchy residues from bags were fermented by the fungus Rhizopus oryzae to produce up to 35 mg of lactic acid per g of bag residues. PMID:22717162

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is an uncommon condition that occurs mainly in chronically catheterized patient and associated with urinary tract infection. It is characterised by purple discolouration of urine bag which leads to significant stress and anxiety to patient, care takers and health workers, so awareness regarding this condition is of utmost importance. In our report, an old gentleman with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) on per urethral catheter (PUC) with past history of recurrent urinary tract infection developed burning micturition of urine with purple discoloration of urine bag. After proper antibiotic and catheter changed, discoloration subsided. In India, as life expectancy and geriatric care is improving, more patients are on PUC for various diseases. So, the incidence of PUBS will increase and awareness is required about the condition and its management. PMID:27042522

Purple urine bag syndrome is a clinical entity first described in 1978. Its typical discoloration is worrying for clinicians. In the past, these patients sometimes reached the emergency unit only because of this exceptional worrying urinary sign and underwent invasive diagnostic examinations including cystoscopy, without any abnormal finding. It is now clear that this astonishing phenomenon of double discoloration of the urine, appearing purple in the bag and dark blue in the test tube, results from the formation of 2 different pigments (indirubin and indigo) in very alkaline urines due to enzymes produced by gram-negative bacteria, such as indoxyl phosphatase/sulfatase, which can convert urinary metabolites of dietary tryptophan. Practicing physicians should identify purple urine bag syndrome as a usually benign medical condition diagnosed in asymptomatic patients, which only requires treatment of bacteriuria with antibiotics, prevention of constipation, substitution of catheter and acidification of the urine. After these measures, urine typically returns to its normal color. PMID:22941873

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is an uncommon condition that occurs mainly in chronically catheterized patient and associated with urinary tract infection. It is characterised by purple discolouration of urine bag which leads to significant stress and anxiety to patient, care takers and health workers, so awareness regarding this condition is of utmost importance. In our report, an old gentleman with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) on per urethral catheter (PUC) with past history of recurrent urinary tract infection developed burning micturition of urine with purple discoloration of urine bag. After proper antibiotic and catheter changed, discoloration subsided. In India, as life expectancy and geriatric care is improving, more patients are on PUC for various diseases. So, the incidence of PUBS will increase and awareness is required about the condition and its management. PMID:27042522

Bag-valve-mask ventilation is a key component of life support, but only one handheld resuscitator is designed to operate in contaminated or toxic atmospheres. Following Institutional Review Board approval we determined the efficacy of this device. Twenty anaesthetists ventilated a modified manikin, either with or without a combination filter attached to the resuscitator inlet. The mean (SD) maximum minute volume achieved without the filter was 9.3 (3.1) l x min(-1). Use of the inlet filtration system reduced the maximum minute volume significantly to 6.4 (2.2) l x min(-1) (reduction of 30%, p = 0.0017). The achieved maximum minute volumes ranged from 13.4 to 4 l x min(-1) in the controls and from 9.5 to 3 l x min(-1) in the filter group. The delay in refilling of the self-inflatable bag may have resulted in reduced achievable minute volumes. The range of the maximum minute volumes in both groups highlights the need for continuous bag-valve-mask ventilator training. PMID:18717663

New methods were investigated of using optical interference coatings to produce bandpass filters for the spectral region 110 nm to 200 nm. The types of filter are: triple cavity metal dielectric filters; all dielectric reflection filters; and all dielectric Fabry Perot type filters. The latter two types use thorium fluoride and either cryolite films or magnesium fluoride films in the stacks. The optical properties of the thorium fluoride were also measured.

Pediatric ophthalmologists increasingly recognize that the ideal site for intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is in the bag for aphakic eyes, but it is always very difficult via conventional technique. We conducted a prospective case series study to investigate the success rate and clinical outcomes of capsular bag reestablishment and in-the-bag IOL implantation via secondary capsulorhexis with radiofrequency diathermy (RFD) in pediatric aphakic eyes, in which twenty-two consecutive aphakic pediatric patients (43 aphakic eyes) enrolled in the Childhood Cataract Program of the Chinese Ministry of Health were included. The included children underwent either our novel technique for secondary IOL implantation (with RFD) or the conventional technique (with a bent needle or forceps), depending on the type of preoperative proliferative capsular bag present. In total, secondary capsulorhexis with RFD was successfully applied in 32 eyes (32/43, 74.4%, age 5.6±2.3 years), of which capsular bag reestablishment and in-the-bag IOL implantation were both achieved in 30 eyes (30/43, 70.0%), but in the remaining 2 eyes (2/32, 6.2%) the IOLs were implanted in the sulcus with a capsular bag that was too small. Secondary capsulorhexis with conventional technique was applied in the other 11 eyes (11/43, 25.6%, age 6.9±2.3 years), of which capsular bag reestablishment and in-the-bag IOL implantation were both achieved only in 3 eyes(3/43, 7.0%), and the IOLs were implanted in the sulcus in the remaining 8 eyes. A doughnut-like proliferative capsular bag with an extensive Soemmering ring (32/43, 74.4%) was the main success factor for secondary capsulorhexis with RFD, and a sufficient capsular bag size (33/43, 76.7%) was an additional factor in successful in-the-bag IOL implantation. In conclusion, RFD secondary capsulorhexis technique has 70% success rate in the capsular bag reestablishment and in-the-bag IOL implantation in pediatric aphakic eyes, particularly effective in cases with

Device for generating plastic foam consists of an elastomeric bag and two containers with liquid resin and a liquid catalyst. When the walls of the containers are ruptured the liquids come into contact producing foam which inflates the elastomeric bag.

Past nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl, resulted in a large release of radionuclides into the atmosphere. Radiological assessment of the vicinity of the site of the incident is vital to assess the exposure levels and dose received by the population and workers. Therefore, it is critical to thoroughly understand the situation and risks associated with a particular event in a timely manner in order to properly manage the event. Current atmospheric radiological assessments of alpha emitting radioisotopes include acquiring large quantities of air samples, chemical separation of radionuclides, sample mounting, counting through alpha spectrometry, and analysis of the data. The existing methodology is effective, but time consuming and labor intensive. Autoradiography, and the properties of phosphor imaging films, may be used as an additional technique to facilitate and expedite the alpha analysis process in these types of situations. Although autoradiography is not as sensitive to alpha radiation as alpha spectrometry, autoradiography may benefit alpha analysis by providing information about the activity as well as the spatial distribution of radioactivity in the sample under investigation. The objective for this research was to develop an efficient method for quantification and visualization of air filter samples taken in the aftermath of a nuclear emergency through autoradiography using 241Am and 239Pu tracers. Samples containing varying activities of either 241Am or 239Pu tracers were produced through microprecipitation and assayed by alpha spectroscopy. The samples were subsequently imaged and an activity calibration curve was produced by comparing the digital light units recorded from the image to the known activity of the source. The usefulness of different phosphor screens was examined by exposing each type of film to the same standard nuclide for varying quantities of time. Unknown activity samples created through microprecipiation containing activities of

Thin-film aluminum filters degrade in space with significant reduction of their Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) transmission. This degradation was observed on the EUV Spectrophotometer (ESP) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory's EUV Variability Experiment and the Solar EUV Monitor (SEM) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. One of the possible causes for deterioration of such filters over time is contamination of their surfaces from plumes coming from periodic firing of their satellite's Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) - Nitrogen Tetroxide (NTO) thrusters. When adsorbed by the filters, the contaminant molecules are exposed to solar irradiance and could lead to two possible compositions. First, they could get polymerized leading to a permanent hydrocarbon layer buildup on the filter's surface. Second, they could accelerate and increase the depth of oxidation into filter's bulk aluminum material. To study the phenomena we experimentally replicate contamination of such filters in a simulated environment by MMH-NTO plumes. We apply, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the physical and the chemical changes on these contaminated sample filter surfaces. In addition, we present our first analysis of the effects of additional protective layer coatings based on self-assembled carbon monolayers for aluminum filters. This coverage is expected to significantly decrease their susceptibility to contamination and reduce the overall degradation of filter-based EUV instruments over their mission life.

Five children with ileal diversions have shown asymptomatic blue staining of the urine collection bags. A tryptophan derivative (indican) in the urine that oxidizes to indigo blue on exposure to air is thought to be the cause of this benign transient phenomenon. PMID:628994

Test quantifies leakage of gas from pipe even though pipe covered with insulation. Involves use of helium analyzer to measure concentration of helium in impermeable bag around pipe. Test administered after standard soap-solution bubble test indicates presence and general class of leakage.

Numerical analysis of the solutions of the soliton bag model of Friedberg and Lee is performed. The recent analysis of Goldflam and Wilets is extended to include even-parity as well as odd-parity radially excited states. It is shown that the existence of the solutions (especially the odd-parity ones) restrict severely the allowed range of parameters.

Describes the use of an oven bag as a sterile chamber for culture initiation and tissue transfer. Plant tissue culture is an ideal tool for introducing students to plants, cloning, and experimental design. Includes materials, methods, discussion, and conclusion sections. (SAH)

A plastic bag clip was incidentally found anchored in the mucosa of a partial colectomy specimen 2.6 cm proximal to a ruptured diverticulum for which the patient, a mentally retarded, diabetic, 58-year-old man, underwent surgery. Over 20 cases of accidental ingestion of plastic bag clips have been published. Known complications include small bowel perforation, obstruction, dysphagia, gastrointestinal bleeding and colonic impaction. Preoperative diagnosis of plastic clips lodged in the gastrointestinal tract is frustrated due to radiographic translucency. This occult threat could likely be prevented by the design of gastrointestinally safe, plastic-bag-sealing devices. Presented here is a morphologically based classification of bag clips as a possible guide for determining the most hazardous varieties and to aid further discussions of their impact on health. PMID:22679182

A plastic bag clip was incidentally found anchored in the mucosa of a partial colectomy specimen 2.6 cm proximal to a ruptured diverticulum for which the patient, a mentally retarded, diabetic, 58-year-old man, underwent surgery. Over 20 cases of accidental ingestion of plastic bag clips have been published. Known complications include small bowel perforation, obstruction, dysphagia, gastrointestinal bleeding and colonic impaction. Preoperative diagnosis of plastic clips lodged in the gastrointestinal tract is frustrated due to radiographic translucency. This occult threat could likely be prevented by the design of gastrointestinally safe, plastic-bag-sealing devices. Presented here is a morphologically based classification of bag clips as a possible guide for determining the most hazardous varieties and to aid further discussions of their impact on health. PMID:22679182

In this paper we present a combined Bag of Words and texton based classifier for differentiating anaplastic and non-anaplastic medulloblastoma on digitized histopathology. The hypothesis behind this work is that histological image signatures may reflect different levels of aggressiveness of the disease and that texture based approaches can help discriminate between more aggressive and less aggressive phenotypes of medulloblastoma. The bag of words approach attempts to model the occurrence of differently expressed image features. In this work we choose to model the image features via textons which can quantitatively capture and model texture appearance in the images. The texton-based features, obtained via two methods, the Haar Wavelet responses and MR8 filter bank, provide spatial orientation and rotation invariant attributes. Applying these features to the bag of words framework yields textural representations that can be used in conjunction with a classifier (κ-nearest neighbor) or a content based image retrieval system. Over multiple runs of randomized cross validation, a κ-NN classifier in conjunction with Haar wavelets and the texton, bag of words approach yielded a mean classification accuracy of 80, an area under the precision recall curve of 87 and an area under the ROC curve of 83 in distinguishing between anaplastic and non-anaplastic medulloblastomas on a cohort of 36 patient studies. PMID:22255080

... ATLANTIC Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Off the Atlantic States § 622.277 Bag and possession limits. Section 622.11(a) provides the general applicability for bag and possession limits. (a) Atlantic dolphin and wahoo. Bag and possession limits are as follows: (1) Dolphin—10, not to exceed 60 per vessel,...

... ATLANTIC Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Off the Atlantic States § 622.277 Bag and possession limits. Section 622.11(a) provides the general applicability for bag and possession limits. (a) Atlantic dolphin and wahoo. Bag and possession limits are as follows: (1) Dolphin—10, not to exceed 60 per vessel,...

Multispectral infrared (IR) detection is of great interest to enhance our ability to gather information from a scene. Filtering is a low-cost alternative to the complex multispectral device architectures to which the IR community has devoted much attention. Multilayer dielectric filters are standard in industry, but they require changing the thickness of at least one layer to tune the wavelength. Here, we pursue an approach based on apertures in a metallic layer of fixed thickness, in which the filtered wavelengths are selected by varying the aperture geometry. In particular, we study filters made of at least one sheet of resonating apertures in metal embedded in dielectrics. We will discuss two interesting problems that arise when one attempts to design such filters. First, metallic absorption must be taken into account. Second, the form and size of the pattern is limited by lithography. We will present some design examples and an attempt at explaining the filtering behavior based on the temporal coupled mode theory. That theory models the filter as a resonator interacting with the environment via loss channels. The transmission is solely determined by the loss rates associated with those channels. This model allows us to give a general picture of the filtering performance and compare their characteristics at different wavelength bands.

Multispectral infrared (IR) detection is of great interest to enhance our ability to gather information from a scene. Filtering is a low-cost alternative to the complex multispectral device architectures to which the IR community has devoted much attention. Multilayer dielectric filters are standard in industry, but they require changing the thickness of at least one layer to tune the wavelength. Here, we pursue an approach based on apertures in a metallic layer of fixed thickness, in which the filtered wavelengths are selected by varying the aperture geometry. In particular, we study filters made of at least one sheet of resonating apertures in metal embedded in dielectrics. We will discuss two interesting problems that arise when one attempts to design such filters. First, metallic absorption must be taken into account. Second, the form and size of the pattern is limited by lithography. We will present some design examples and an attempt at explaining the filtering behavior based on the temporal coupled mode theory. That theory models the filter as a resonator interacting with the environment via loss channels. The transmission is solely determined by the loss rates associated with those channels. This model allows us to give a general picture of the filtering performance and compare their characteristics at different wavelength bands.

A concept for measuring stratospheric NOy-species is presented which utilizes the catalytic reduction of NO2 and HNO3 over heated metal catalysts and the chemisorption of HNO3 on Nylon. Using the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy (MPAE) chemiluminescent balloon-borne sonde, stratospheric NO and NO2 profiles have been measured since 1983. NO is detected by chemiluminescence produced in reaction with O3 while NO2 needs first to be converted to NO over a heated stainless steel catalyst. To improve this technique for simultaneously measuring HNO3, the catalytic reduction of NO2 and HNO3 over several metal catalysts and the chemisorption of NO2 and HNO3 on Nylon have been investigated in laboratory tests. The results of these tests under simulated stratospheric conditions are presented in detail in this paper. They demonstrate that the simultaneous measurement of NO, NO2 and HNO3 is indeed possible with the combination of stainless steel or Au as a catalyst and a nylon filter.

In this paper the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect in high-power fiber amplifiers seeded by the narrow-band filtered superfluorescent source (SFS) is firstly analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. Spectral models for the formation of the SFS and the spectral evolution in high-power fiber amplifiers seeded by filtered SFS are proposed. It is found that the SRS effect in high-power fiber amplifiers depends on the spectral width of the filtered SFS seed. The theoretical predictions are in qualitative agreements with the experimental results. PMID:27137305

Non-coding elements such as miRNAs play key regulatory roles in living systems. These ultra-short, ∼21 bp long, RNA molecules are derived from their hairpin precursors and usually participate in negative gene regulation by binding the target mRNAs. Discovering miRNA candidate regions across the genome has been a challenging problem. Most of the existing tools work reliably only for limited datasets. Here, we have presented a novel reliable approach, miR-BAG, developed to identify miRNA candidate regions in genomes by scanning sequences as well as by using next generation sequencing (NGS) data. miR-BAG utilizes a bootstrap aggregation based machine learning approach, successfully creating an ensemble of complementary learners to attain high accuracy while balancing sensitivity and specificity. miR-BAG was developed for wide range of species and tested extensively for performance over a wide range of experimentally validated data. Consideration of position-specific variation of triplet structural profiles and mature miRNA anchored structural profiles had a positive impact on performance. miR-BAG's performance was found consistent and the accuracy level was observed to be >90% for most of the species considered in the present study. In a detailed comparative analysis, miR-BAG performed better than six existing tools. Using miR-BAG NGS module, we identified a total of 22 novel miRNA candidate regions in cow genome in addition to a total of 42 cow specific miRNA regions. In practice, discovery of miRNA regions in a genome demands high-throughput data analysis, requiring large amount of processing. Considering this, miR-BAG has been developed in multi-threaded parallel architecture as a web server as well as a user friendly GUI standalone version. PMID:23049860

In modern medicine human mesenchymal stem cells are becoming increasingly important. However, a successful cultivation of this type of cells is only possible under very specific conditions. Of great importance, for instance, are the absence of contaminants such as foreign microbiological organisms, i.e., sterility, and the chemical functionalization of the ground on which the cells are grown. As cultivation of these cells makes high demands, a new procedure for cell cultivation has been developed in which closed plastic bags are used. For adherent cell growth chemical functional groups have to be introduced on the inner surface of the plastic bag. This can be achieved by a new, atmospheric-pressure plasma-based method presented in this paper. The method which was developed jointly by the Fraunhofer IST and the Helmholtz HZI can be implemented in automated equipment as is also shown in this contribution. Plasma process gases used include helium or helium-based gas mixtures (He + N2 + H2) and vapors of suitable film-forming agents or precursors such as APTMS, DACH, and TMOS in helium. The effect of plasma treatment is investigated by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy as well as surface tension determination based on contact angle measurements and XPS. Plasma treatment in nominally pure helium increases the surface tension of the polymer foil due to the presence of oxygen traces in the gas and oxygen diffusing through the gas-permeable foil, respectively, reacting with surface radical centers formed during contact with the discharge. Primary amino groups are obtained on the inner surface by treatment in mixtures with nitrogen and hydrogen albeit their amount is comparably small due to diffusion of oxygen through the gas-permeable bag, interfering with the plasma-amination process. Surface modifications introducing amino groups on the inner surface turned out to be most efficient in the promotion of cell growth.

Bag-1, Bcl-2 associated athanogene-1, is a multifunctional protein that can regulate a wide variety of cellular processes: proliferation, cell survival, transcription, apoptosis and motility. Bag-1 interacts with various targets in the modulation of these pathways; yet molecular details of Bag-1's involvement in each cellular event are still unclear. We first showed that forced Bag-1 expression promotes cell survival and prevents drug-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Increased mRNA expressions of c-myc protooncogene and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), biosynthetic enzyme of polyamines, were detected in Bag-1L+ cells, and western blots against the protein product of c-Myc and ODC confirmed these findings. Once ODC, a c-Myc target, gets activated, polyamine biosynthesis increases. We observed enhanced polyamine content in the Bag-1L+ cells. On the contrary, when polyamine catabolic mechanisms were investigated, Bag-1 silencing suppressed biosynthesis of polyamines because of the downregulation of ODC and upregulation of PAO. Exposure of cells to apoptotic inducers enhances the cell death mechanism by producing toxic products such as H2 O2 and aldehydes. Bag-1L+ cells prevented drug-induced PAO activation leading to a decrease in H2 O2 production following cisplatin or paclitaxel treatment. In this line, our results suggested that Bag-1 indirectly affects cell survival through c-Myc activated signalling that causes elevation of ODC levels, leading to an increase of the polyamine content. PMID:26178413

Since time immemorial uroscopic analysis has been a staple of diagnostic medicine. It received prominence during the middle ages with the introduction of the matula. Urinary discoloration is generally due to changes in urochrome concentration associated with the presence of other endogenous or exogenous pigments. Observation of urine colors has received less attention due to the advances made in urinalysis. A gamut of urine colors can be seen in urine bags of hospitalized patients that may give clue to presence of infections, medications, poisons, and hemolysis. Although worrisome to the patient, urine discoloration is mostly benign and resolves with removal of the offending agent. Twelve urine bags with discolored urine (and their predisposing causes) have been shown as examples. Urine colors (blue-green, yellow, orange, pink, red, brown, black, white, and purple) and their etiologies have been reviewed following a literature search in these databases: Pubmed, EBSCO, Science Direct, Proquest, Google Scholar, Springer, and Ovid. PMID:24959539

Breiman`s bagging and Freund and Schapire`s boosting are recent methods for improving the predictive power of classifier learning systems. Both form a set of classifiers that are combined by voting, bagging by generating replicated bootstrap samples of the data, and boosting by adjusting the weights of training instances. This paper reports results of applying both techniques to a system that learns decision trees and testing on a representative collection of datasets. While both approaches substantially improve predictive accuracy, boosting shows the greater benefit. On the other hand, boosting also produces severe degradation on some datasets. A small change to the way that boosting combines the votes of learned classifiers reduces this downside and also leads to slightly better results on most of the datasets considered.

We evaluate the effect of finite aperture gratings on the spectral and efficiency characteristics of guided-mode resonance filters. A simple analytical model based on the attenuation properties of the waveguide and a fixed length of the grating aperture is developed. The results from this model are in good agreement with experimental filters formed with subwavelength period photoresist gratings and solgel waveguides. PMID:18349938

The control of stored-product moths in bagged commodities is difficult because the developmental stages of the moths are protected by the bagging material from control measures such as the application of contact insecticides. Studies were carried out to assess the ability of Hymenopteran parasitoids to locate their hosts inside jute bags in the laboratory. The ability of different parasitoids to penetrate jute bags containing rice was investigated in a controlled climate chamber. Few Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) passed through the jute material while a high percentage of Lariophagus distinguendus (Förster), Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Theocolax elegans (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) were able to enter the Petri-dishes. Significantly more L. distinguendus and T. elegans entered compared to H. hebetor. There was significant difference in the mean percentage parasitoids invading depending on species. Head capsules and/or thorax widths were measured in order to determine whether the opening in the jute material would be large enough for entry of the parasitoids. These morphometric data differed depending on parasitoid species and sex. The parasitoid Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) did not enter the bags, but located host larvae inside the jute bags and parasitized rice moths Corcyra cephalonica larvae by stinging through the jute material. Venturia canescens significantly reduced the number of C. cephalonica adults emerging from the bagged rice; therefore, it could be released in storage rooms containing bagged rice for biological control of C. cephalonica. The use of parasitoids to suppress stored-product insect pests in bagged commodities could become a valuable supplement to the use of synthetic pesticides. PMID:24846572

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection", requires that all passenger cars manufactured after September 1, 1989 be equipped with automatic crash protection. Car manufacturers met this requirement by installing automatic safety belts or air bags. No chemical injuries have been reported as a result of air bag deployment in motor vehicle accidents (MVA). A 6-month retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effects of the white powdery residue from air bags, a combination of talc and sodium hydroxide, found in the driver compartment after an MVA. The study reviewed time to onset of symptoms, symptomatology, and treatment. The study included seven patients exposed to deployed air bags after an MVA. Four cases resulted in dermal burns and three patients were diagnosed with unrelated injuries. Three patients presented to an emergency department within 48 hours of the exposure complaining of burns to the skin. Two patients attempted home therapy but became concerned when the symptoms did not subside. One patient was discharged with the diagnosis of first degree burns of the chin and left hand. Another patient experienced bilateral hand erythema and blisters. Standard burn therapy was instituted in both instances. A third patient arrived 1 hour post-exposure to the emergency department complaining of a burning sensation to the hands, but the skin appeared normal. Thorough irrigation was initiated and Silvadene (Marion, Kansas City, MO) applied. One patient notified the poison center 1 hour post-exposure complaining of erythema and burning to his hands after an MVA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:8447868

US fertilizer consumption (excluding natural organic, secondary, and micronutrient materials) increased slightly from 42.7 million tons in 1987--1988 to 42.8 million tons in 1988--1989-a gain of less than one percent. In 1988--1989, dry bulk materials represented 52.1 percent of total consumption, fluid fertilizers accounted for 38.9 percent, and bagged materials the remaining 9.0 percent. Both dry and fluid fertilizers increased in tonnage over last year but market shares of each remained essentially the same. Bagged fertilizer continued to drop in tonnage as well as in market share. Fluid fertilizer use (including anhydrous ammonia) exceeded 16.6 million tons. Solid materials accounted for 26.2 million tons. TVA estimates that total dry bulk fertilizer distribution was 22.3 million tons, representing 85 percent of all solid materials. Estimated fertilizer sales of bagged products was 3.9 million tons compared to 4.1 million tons in 1987--1988. Multiple-nutrient fertilizer consumption was 17.5 million tons in 1988--1989. Class distribution of these materials was 60.1 percent dry bulk form, 22.4 percent fluid, and 17.5 percent bagged. Fluid multiple-nutrient materials consumption remained about the same as for 1987--1988 but increased in total market share from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent. This report is compiled annually from individual State fertilizer tonnage reports. Forty States provided complete breakdown by class in 1988-1989. Only numerical data is included.

Background Planned re-laparotomies are a series of surgical interventions that are rarely used and have a high mortality rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting mortality and the effectiveness of the use of the Bogota bag for temporary closure of the abdomen in patients for whom re-laparotomy was planned. Material/Methods A retrospective examination was made of data of patients in whom a Bogota bag was used in planned re-laparotomies for various reasons in the General Surgery Department of Suleyman Demirel University Medical Faculty between June 2008 and April 2014. Results Bogota bags were used in a total of 38 patients, comprising 23 (60.5%) males and 15 (39.5%) females, with a mean age of 58.94±17.89 years. The mean period of hospitalization was 14.5 days (range, 1–143 days) and the mean number of operations during that time was 3 (range, 1–11). The mean duration of intensive care unit stay was 6 days (range, 1–143 days). Malignancy was determined in 8 patients (21.1%). Indications were intra-abdominal sepsis in 23 patients (60.5%), mesenteric vascular disease in 10 patients (26.3%), and packing was required in 5 patients (13.2%). Mortality developed in 25 patients (65.8%). A significant relationship was determined between mortality and a diagnosis of mesenteric artery ischemia (p: 0.035). The mortality rate was 56% (n: 13) in patients diagnosed with intra-abdominal sepsis. A relationship was determined between mortality and age (p: 0.015), duration of hospital stay (p: 0.007), need for cardiac inotrope (p: 0.01), and need for mechanical ventilation (p: 0.01). The mean Apache II score was 26.4±5 for patients who died and 15.8±5.2 for surviving patients (p<0.001). In 5 (38.4%) of the 13 surviving patients, primary repair was applied to the abdomen, and in the remaining 8 patients abdominal wall repair was performed using dual mesh. Conclusions In patients in whom a Bogota bag was used, which is a cheap and easy method for

BACKGROUND Planned re-laparotomies are a series of surgical interventions that are rarely used and have a high mortality rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting mortality and the effectiveness of the use of the Bogota bag for temporary closure of the abdomen in patients for whom re-laparotomy was planned. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective examination was made of data of patients in whom a Bogota bag was used in planned re-laparotomies for various reasons in the General Surgery Department of Suleyman Demirel University Medical Faculty between June 2008 and April 2014. RESULTS Bogota bags were used in a total of 38 patients, comprising 23 (60.5%) males and 15 (39.5%) females, with a mean age of 58.94±17.89 years. The mean period of hospitalization was 14.5 days (range, 1-143 days) and the mean number of operations during that time was 3 (range, 1-11). The mean duration of intensive care unit stay was 6 days (range, 1-143 days). Malignancy was determined in 8 patients (21.1%). Indications were intra-abdominal sepsis in 23 patients (60.5%), mesenteric vascular disease in 10 patients (26.3%), and packing was required in 5 patients (13.2%). Mortality developed in 25 patients (65.8%). A significant relationship was determined between mortality and a diagnosis of mesenteric artery ischemia (p: 0.035). The mortality rate was 56% (n: 13) in patients diagnosed with intra-abdominal sepsis. A relationship was determined between mortality and age (p: 0.015), duration of hospital stay (p: 0.007), need for cardiac inotrope (p: 0.01), and need for mechanical ventilation (p: 0.01). The mean Apache II score was 26.4±5 for patients who died and 15.8±5.2 for surviving patients (p<0.001). In 5 (38.4%) of the 13 surviving patients, primary repair was applied to the abdomen, and in the remaining 8 patients abdominal wall repair was performed using dual mesh. CONCLUSIONS In patients in whom a Bogota bag was used, which is a cheap and easy method for

Some animals have evolved the use of environmental materials as “portable armour” against natural enemies. Portable bags that bagworm larvae (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) construct using their own silk and plant parts are generally believed to play an important role as a physical barrier against natural enemies. However, no experimental studies have tested the importance of bags as portable armour against predators. To clarify the defensive function, I studied the bagworm Eumeta minuscula and a potential predator Calosoma maximoviczi (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Under laboratory conditions, all bagworm larvae were attacked by carabid adults, but successfully defended themselves against the predators’ mandibles using their own bags. The portable bags, which are composed mainly of host plant twigs, may function as a physical barrier against predator mandibles. To test this hypothesis, I removed the twig bags and replaced some with herb leaf bags; all bag-removed larvae were easily caught and predated by carabids, while all bag-replaced larvae could successfully defend themselves against carabid attacks. Therefore, various types of portable bags can protect bagworm larvae from carabid attacks. This is the first study to test the defensive function of bagworm portable bags against invertebrate predators. PMID:26893969

Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. This Technical Memorandum details the design and construction of a prototype for a one-piece regolith bag unpressurized garage concept and a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. The conceptualization was that a lightweight fabric form be launched from Earth and landed on the lunar surface to be robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. Regolith bag fabric candidates included: Vectran(TM), Nextel(TM), Gore PTFE Fabric(TM), Zylon(TM), Twaron(TM), and Nomex(TM). Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and also performed under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, Johnson Space Center lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. A series of preliminary structures was constructed during final prototype design based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of Kevlar(TM) and filled with vermiculite. The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Future plans would be to construct higher fidelity prototypes and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

Moment closures of the Vlasov-Ampère system, whereby higher moments are represented as functions of lower moments with the constraint that the resulting fluid system remains Hamiltonian, are investigated by using water-bag theory. The link between the water-bag formalism and fluid models that involve density, fluid velocity, pressure and higher moments is established by introducing suitable thermodynamic variables. The cases of one, two, and three water-bags are treated and their Hamiltonian structures are provided. In each case, we give the associated fluid closures and we discuss their Casimir invariants. We show how the method can be extended to an arbitrary number of fields, i.e., an arbitrary number of water-bags and associated moments. The thermodynamic interpretation of the resulting models is discussed. Finally, a general procedure to derive Hamiltonian N-field fluid models is proposed.

A large class of easily implemented nonlinear filters called stack filters are discussed which includes the rank order operators in addition to the compositions of morphological operators. Techniques similar to those used to determine the root signal behavior of median filters are employed to study the convergence properties of the filters, and necessary conditions for a stack filter to preserve monotone regions or edges in signals, and the output distribution of the filters, are obtained. Among the stack filters of window width three are found asymmetric median filters in which one removes only positive going edges, the other removes only negative going edges, while the median filter removes impulses of both signs.

In general, an operational sonar system will require an anti-aliasing low-pass filter if any high frequency components are present in the sensor phase information. A mechanical filter must be used in the sensor since anti-aliasing filtering must be performed before sampling. Fiber-optic hydrophones with mechanical anti-aliasing filter, which consists of soft closed-cell sponge rubber, have been reported, but they have poor ability of resistance to hydrostatic pressure due to the softness of the rubber. Furthermore, the theoretical analysis and design of the hydrophone are difficult due to the uncertainty of the rubber's mechanical properties. To effectively eliminate the aliasing in a practical sonar system based on interferometric fiber-optic hydrophones, a novel mechanical anti-aliasing filtering fiber-optic hydrophone with a cylindrical Helmholtz resonator has been proposed. The low frequency lumped parameters model of the fiber-optic hydrophone is given based on the theories of electro-acoustic analogy, and the acoustic properties are analyzed using the standard circuit analysis methods. The acoustic sensitivity frequency response is measured in a standing-wave tube using a comparative measurement method. Experimental results show that this new type of fiber-optic hydrophones has good acoustic low-pass filtering performance. The low frequency response, as determined by the sensing mandrel and the fiber optical interferometer, is very flat and the average acoustic phase sensitivity is about -140 dB re 1rad/μPa with a fluctuation within +/-1.0 dB. The response curve has a resonant frequency determined by the hydrophone structure. Apart from the resonant frequencies and the high frequency responses, the measured response curves are well in agreement with the simulation results, which show the correction of the model and the theories. It is expected that this new type of mechanical anti-aliasing fiber-optic hydrophone will have wide potential applications in

Relationships between observers, Kalman Filters and dynamic compensators using feedforward control theory are investigated. In particular, the relationship, if any, between the dynamic compensator state and linear functions of a discrete plane state are investigated. It is shown that, in steady state, a dynamic compensator driven by the plant output can be expressed as the sum of two terms. The first term is a linear combination of the plant state. The second term depends on plant and measurement noise, and the plant control. Thus, the state of the dynamic compensator can be expressed as an estimator of the first term with additive error given by the second term. Conditions under which a dynamic compensator is a Kalman filter are presented, and reduced-order optimal estimaters are investigated.

... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS...) Definitions. An air bag inflator (consisting of a casing containing an igniter, a booster material, a gas... used in the operation of a seat-belt restraining system in a motor vehicle. (b) Classification. An...

... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS...) Definitions. An air bag inflator (consisting of a casing containing an igniter, a booster material, a gas... used in the operation of a seat-belt restraining system in a motor vehicle. (b) Classification. An...

To determine prececal starch digestibili-ty and estimate glucose uptake from the digestion of 4 forms of barley in the small intestine, 4 mature cecally fistulated geldings (449 ± 41 kg BW) fed a 62:38 (wt/wt) meadow hay:concentrate diet at 1.7 kg DM/100 kg BW were included in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. During each period, horses received 80% DM of their concentrate as 1 of the 4 forms of a same batch of barley, whole grain, 2.5 mm ground, steam flaked, and pelleted. Hay was offered in 2 equal meals and concentrate in 2 unequal meals. The starch supply in the morning meal amounted 2.7 g starch/kg BW. At each period, mobile bag DM and starch disappearance was determined. Except for ground barley, each form of barley was 4 mm ground before being introduced in the bag. Nylon bags containing each substrate were intubated in the horse receiving the pelleted barley. Bags were collected in the cecum for 10 h postintubation. At each period, postprandial glycemia was measured on blood samples collected on the 4 horses via an indwelling jugular catheter just before the concentrate morning meal and for 8 h. No hay in the morning meal was given the day of the measurements. Whole blood glucose was analyzed with a portable blood glucose meter. Mobile bag prececal DM disappearance and starch disappearance depended (P < 0.01) on barley form. Prececal starch disappearance of whole barley was the lowest but no difference (P > 0.05) was detected among the 3 processed grains. No significant effect of barley form was found whatever the glycemic parameters. No significant correlation was reported between glycemic parameters and the amount of prececal mobile bag disappeared starch calculated as the starch intake in the morning meal by the mobile bag starch disappearance. To conclude, the whole form of barley exhibited the lowest prececal mobile bag starch disappearance whereas, in relationship with large individual variations, no significant variation has been shown in

Technical scale (≥5l) cultivations of shear stress sensitive microorganisms are often difficult to perform, as common bioreactors are usually designed to maximize the oxygen input into the culture medium. This is achieved by mechanical stirrers, causing high shear stress. Examples for shear stress sensitive microorganisms, for which no specific cultivation systems exist, are many anaerobic bacteria and fungi, such as basidiomycetes. In this work a disposable bag bioreactor developed for cultivation of mammalian cells was investigated to evaluate its potential to cultivate shear stress sensitive anaerobic Eubacterium ramulus and shear stress sensitive basidiomycetes Flammulina velutipes and Pleurotus sapidus. All cultivations were compared with conventional stainless steel stirred tank reactors (STR) cultivations. Good growth of all investigated microorganisms cultivated in the bag reactor was found. E. ramulus showed growth rates of μ=0.56 h⁻¹ (bag) and μ=0.53 h⁻¹ (STR). Differences concerning morphology, enzymatic activities and growth in fungal cultivations were observed. In the bag reactor growth in form of small, independent pellets was observed while STR cultivations showed intense aggregation. F. velutipes reached higher biomass concentrations (21.2 g l⁻¹ DCW vs. 16.8 g l⁻¹ DCW) and up to 2-fold higher peptidolytic activities in comparison to cell cultivation in stirred tank reactors. PMID:23892193

In this paper, we propose two cooperative ensemble learning algorithms, i.e., NegBagg and NegBoost, for designing neural network (NN) ensembles. The proposed algorithms incrementally train different individual NNs in an ensemble using the negative correlation learning algorithm. Bagging and boosting algorithms are used in NegBagg and NegBoost, respectively, to create different training sets for different NNs in the ensemble. The idea behind using negative correlation learning in conjunction with the bagging/boosting algorithm is to facilitate interaction and cooperation among NNs during their training. Both NegBagg and NegBoost use a constructive approach to automatically determine the number of hidden neurons for NNs. NegBoost also uses the constructive approach to automatically determine the number of NNs for the ensemble. The two algorithms have been tested on a number of benchmark problems in machine learning and NNs, including Australian credit card assessment, breast cancer, diabetes, glass, heart disease, letter recognition, satellite, soybean, and waveform problems. The experimental results show that NegBagg and NegBoost require a small number of training epochs to produce compact NN ensembles with good generalization. PMID:18558541

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently treating radioactive liquid waste with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU). The low filter flux through the ARP has limited the rate at which radioactive liquid waste can be treated. Recent filter flux has averaged approximately 5 gallons per minute (gpm). Salt Batch 6 has had a lower processing rate and required frequent filter cleaning. Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has a desire to understand the causes of the low filter flux and to increase ARP/MCU throughput. In addition, at the time the testing started, SRR was assessing the impact of replacing the 0.1 micron filter with a 0.5 micron filter. This report describes testing of MST filterability to investigate the impact of filter pore size and MST particle size on filter flux and testing of filter enhancers to attempt to increase filter flux. The authors constructed a laboratory-scale crossflow filter apparatus with two crossflow filters operating in parallel. One filter was a 0.1 micron Mott sintered SS filter and the other was a 0.5 micron Mott sintered SS filter. The authors also constructed a dead-end filtration apparatus to conduct screening tests with potential filter aids and body feeds, referred to as filter enhancers. The original baseline for ARP was 5.6 M sodium salt solution with a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 1.7 M.3 ARP has been operating with a sodium concentration of approximately 6.4 M and a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 2.5 M. SRNL conducted tests varying the concentration of sodium and free hydroxide to determine whether those changes had a significant effect on filter flux. The feed slurries for the MST filterability tests were composed of simple salts (NaOH, NaNO2, and NaNO3) and MST (0.2 – 4.8 g/L). The feed slurry for the filter enhancer tests contained simulated salt batch 6 supernate, MST, and filter enhancers.

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Non-commercial bag limits. 665.212 Section... Non-commercial bag limits. No more than a total of five fish (all species combined) identified as... any individual participating in a non-commercial vessel-based fishing trip in the MHI...

... Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic § 622.408 Bag/possession limits. (a) EEZ off the southern Atlantic states, other than Florida. The daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster in or... or possession limit of spiny lobster in or from the EEZ off Florida and off the Gulf states,...

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTH ATLANTIC Management... daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster in or from the EEZ off the southern Atlantic states... fishing season specified in § 640.20(b)(1), the daily bag or possession limit of spiny lobster in or...

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTH ATLANTIC Management... daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster in or from the EEZ off the southern Atlantic states... fishing season specified in § 640.20(b)(1), the daily bag or possession limit of spiny lobster in or...

... Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic § 622.408 Bag/possession limits. (a) EEZ off the southern Atlantic states, other than Florida. The daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster in or... or possession limit of spiny lobster in or from the EEZ off Florida and off the Gulf states,...

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTH ATLANTIC Management... daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster in or from the EEZ off the southern Atlantic states... fishing season specified in § 640.20(b)(1), the daily bag or possession limit of spiny lobster in or...

... HMS. The bag limits include fish taken in both state and Federal waters. (a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag... recreational fisherman may take or retain no more than: (1) Ten albacore tuna if any part of the fishing trip..., Santa Barbara County) to the U.S.-Mexico border. (2) Twenty-five albacore tuna if any part of...

... HMS. The bag limits include fish taken in both state and Federal waters. (a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag... recreational fisherman may take or retain no more than: (1) Ten albacore tuna if any part of the fishing trip..., Santa Barbara County) to the U.S.-Mexico border. (2) Twenty-five albacore tuna if any part of...

... HMS. The bag limits include fish taken in both state and Federal waters. (a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag... recreational fisherman may take or retain no more than: (1) Ten albacore tuna if any part of the fishing trip..., Santa Barbara County) to the U.S.-Mexico border. (2) Twenty-five albacore tuna if any part of...

... HMS. The bag limits include fish taken in both state and Federal waters. (a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag... recreational fisherman may take or retain no more than: (1) Ten albacore tuna if any part of the fishing trip..., Santa Barbara County) to the U.S.-Mexico border. (2) Twenty-five albacore tuna if any part of...

... HMS. The bag limits include fish taken in both state and Federal waters. (a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag... recreational fisherman may take or retain no more than: (1) Ten albacore tuna if any part of the fishing trip..., Santa Barbara County) to the U.S.-Mexico border. (2) Twenty-five albacore tuna if any part of...

Plastic bags are the scourge of roadsides, parking lots and landfills. But chemistry comes to the rescue! At Argonne National Laboratory, Vilas Pol has found a way to not only recycle plastic bags--but make them into valuable batteries for cell phones and laptops.

..., plastic film bonded to the inner surface of the bag, or one or more inner liners made of paper or plastic... appropriate means, such as by the use of separate inner liners of water-resistant paper (e.g., waxed kraft... bag, or one or more inner liners made of plastic material or metalized film or foil. (4) Maximum...

..., plastic film bonded to the inner surface of the bag, or one or more inner liners made of paper or plastic... appropriate means, such as by the use of separate inner liners of water-resistant paper (e.g., waxed kraft... bag, or one or more inner liners made of plastic material or metalized film or foil. (4) Maximum...

..., plastic film bonded to the inner surface of the bag, or one or more inner liners made of paper or plastic... appropriate means, such as by the use of separate inner liners of water-resistant paper (e.g., waxed kraft... bag, or one or more inner liners made of plastic material or metalized film or foil. (4) Maximum...

Plastic bags are the scourge of roadsides, parking lots and landfills. But chemistry comes to the rescue! At Argonne National Laboratory, Vilas Pol has found a way to not only recycle plastic bags--but make them into valuable batteries for cell phones and laptops.

..., plastic film bonded to the inner surface of the bag, or one or more inner liners made of paper or plastic... paper, tarred paper, or plastic-coated kraft paper), or plastic film bonded to the inner surface of the bag, or one or more inner liners made of plastic material or metalized film or foil. (4) Maximum...

Data are not currently available on the contaminants released when microwave popcorn, flavorings and bags are heated to microwave temperatures. Thus, the primary goal of this work is to identify and quantify contaminants emitted while popping and opening a bag of microwave popcor...

An electric disk filter provides a high efficiency at high temperature. A hollow outer filter of fibrous stainless steel forms the ground electrode. A refractory filter material is placed between the outer electrode and the inner electrically isolated high voltage electrode. Air flows through the outer filter surfaces through the electrified refractory filter media and between the high voltage electrodes and is removed from a space in the high voltage electrode.

An electric disk filter provides a high efficiency at high temperature. A hollow outer filter of fibrous stainless steel forms the ground electrode. A refractory filter material is placed between the outer electrode and the inner electrically isolated high voltage electrode. Air flows through the outer filter surfaces through the electrified refractory filter media and between the high voltage electrodes and is removed from a space in the high voltage electrode.

Guidelines for the design and fabrication of polymer photonic crystal channel drop filters for coarse wavelength division multiplexing are provided. A Fabry-Perot cavity consisting of a membrane-type slab photonic crystal, where a hole row perpendicular to the propagation direction is removed, is considered. We selected nanoimprinting as the manufacturing technique. The influence on the cavity performance of several key parameters, i.e., polymer core material, lattice geometry, defect length, and holes' radius, has been investigated in a device compliant with the requirement of the ITU-T G.694.2 standard. A detailed analysis of the fabrication tolerances has been carried out at 1551 nm. The maximum acceptable drift of the geometrical parameters has been accurately evaluated by using the finite element method to prove that the fabrication tolerances do not significantly affect the performance of polymer filters for coarse wavelength division multiplexing, when manufactured by thermal nanoimprinting lithography.

We study the effectiveness of cross validation, Bayesian regularization, early stopping, and bagging to mitigate overfitting and improving generalization for pricing and hedging derivative securities with daily S&P 500 index daily call options from January 1988 to December 1993. Our results indicate that Bayesian regularization can generate significantly smaller pricing and delta-hedging errors than the baseline neural-network (NN) model and the Black-Scholes model for some years. While early stopping does not affect the pricing errors, it significantly reduces the hedging error (HE) in four of the six years we investigated. Although computationally most demanding, bagging seems to provide the most accurate pricing and delta hedging. Furthermore, the standard deviation of the MSPE of bagging is far less than that of the baseline model in all six years, and the standard deviation of the average HE of bagging is far less than that of the baseline model in five out of six years. We conclude that they be used at least in cases when no appropriate hints are available. PMID:18249908

The carrier bag theory of nursing practice is a reinterpretation of how nursing is known and practiced that explicitly acknowledges and values nursing's oral and experiential traditions. An assumption of this work is that the region of experience that is nursing has been effectively divided into two worlds--academia and the world of practice. This has resulted in a theory-practice gap and an elite class-working class gap, as well as a gap between epistemes, or "knowing that" versus "knowing how." This article describes the development of reflective practice and resulting narratives from a critical perspective as a way of creating a pathway between the two worlds of nursing and honoring scholarship in all the ways nursing is known and practiced. PMID:8092815

Pulse-jet fabric filters rely on the filtration of dirty flue gas by the outside surface of the bags, which are then cleaned by a shock wave generated by an air pulse entering each bag from the top. As it travels down the length of the bag, the shock wave flexes the fabric and dislodges the dust cake. Enhancement of the pulse may be achieved by using a venturi, and cleaning may be on-line or off-line. This paper summarizes the results of an exhaustive study conducted for the Electric Power Research Institute to provide a convenient and versatile information base about the use of pulse-jet fabric filters on coal-fired boilers. Predominant features of the many pulse-jet installations identified by vendor survey and literature survey are shown in graphical and tabular form.

Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. We designed and constructed a prototype for a one-piece regolith-bag unpressurized garage concept, and, in parallel, we conducted a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. In our concept, a lightweight fabric form is launched from Earth to be landed on the lunar surface and robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. In the materials testing program, regolith-bag fabric candidates included: Vectran(TM), Nextel(TM), Gore PTFE Fabric(TM), Zylon(TM), Twaron(TM), and Nomex(TM). Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and, within our current means, we also performed these tests under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. Our ambition is to continuously refine our testing to reach lunar environmental conditions to the extent possible. A series of preliminary structures were constructed during design of the final prototype. Design is based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of Kevlar(TM) and filled with vermiculite (fairly close to the weight of lunar regolith on the moon). The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Our plan for the future would be to construct higher fidelity mockups with each iteration, and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. We designed and constructed a prototype for a one-piece regolith-bag unpressurized garage concept, and, in parallel, we conducted a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. In our concept, a lightweight fabric form is launched from Earth to be landed on the lunar surface and robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. In the materials testing program, regolith-bag fabric candidates included: VectranTM, NextelTM, Gore PTFE FabricTM, ZylonTM TwaronTM and NomexTM. Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and, within our current means, we also performed these tests under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. Our ambition is to continuously refine our testing to reach lunar environmental conditions to the extent possible. A series of preliminary structures were constructed during design of the final prototype. Design is based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of KevlarTM and filled with vermiculite (fairly close to the weight of lunar regolith on the moon). The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Our plan for the future would be to construct higher fidelty mockups with each iteration, and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

The Aquaspace H2OME Guardian Water Filter, available through Western Water International, Inc., reduces lead in water supplies. The filter is mounted on the faucet and the filter cartridge is placed in the "dead space" between sink and wall. This filter is one of several new filtration devices using the Aquaspace compound filter media, which combines company developed and NASA technology. Aquaspace filters are used in industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational environments as well as by developing nations where water is highly contaminated.

Multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) transporters, which belong to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family proteins, are present in living organisms as a first line of defense system against xenobiotics and environmental contaminants. The effects of six organic UV filters (4-methyl -benzylidene camphor, 4-MBC; benzophenone-3, BP-3; butyl methoxydibenzoyl-methane, BM-DBM; ethylhexyl methoxy cinnamate, EHMC; octocrylene, OC and homosalate, HMS) on multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) in Tetrahymena thermophila were investigated in this study. It was found that 4-MBC, BP-3 and BM-DBM could significantly inhibit activity of the MXR system, causing concentration dependent accumulation of rhodamine 123; while EHMC, OC and HMS had weak MXR inhibition. The IC50 (50 % inhibition concentration) values of 4-MBC, BP-3 and BM-DBM were 23.54, 40.59 and 26.37 μM, respectively, with inhibitory potentials of 23.1, 13.4 and 20.6 % relative to verapamil (VER, a model inhibitor of P-glycoprotein). Our results firstly provide the evidence for UV filters inhibition effect on MXR in aquatic organisms. In addition, it was revealed by molecular docking analysis that the selected six UV filters can occupy the same binding site on T. thermophila P-gp as VER does; and form H-bonds with residues Ser 328 and/or Asn 281. This study raises the awareness of aquatic ecological risk from the organic UV filters exposure, as they would be involved in potentiating toxic effects by chemosensitizing. PMID:27315091

Sterilizing and pre-filters are manufactured in different formats and designs. The criteria for the specific designs are set by the application and the specifications of the filter user. The optimal filter unit or even system requires evaluation, such as flow rate, throughput, unspecific adsorption, steam sterilizability and chemical compatibility. These parameters are commonly tested within a qualification phase, which ensures that an optimal filter design and combination finds its use. If such design investigations are neglected it could be costly in the process scale. PMID:16570863

Investigation involving patients with injuries in the visual nervous system are discussed. This led to the identification of the epithelial ganglion of the retina as a frequency filter. Threshold curves of the injured visual organs were compared with threshold curves obtained with a control group as a basis for identification. A model which considers the epithelial ganglion as a homogeneous cell layer in which adjacent neurons interact is discussed. It is shown the behavior of the cells against alternating exciting currents can be explained.

Filtration technology originated in a mid 1960's NASA study. The results were distributed to the filter industry, an HR Textron responded, using the study as a departure for the development of 421 Filter Media. The HR system is composed of ultrafine steel fibers metallurgically bonded and compressed so that the pore structure is locked in place. The filters are used to filter polyesters, plastics, to remove hydrocarbon streams, etc. Several major companies use the product in chemical applications, pollution control, etc.

In this work, we are motivated by previous attempts to derive the vacuum contribution to the bag energy in terms of familiar Casimir energy calculations for spherical geometries. A simple infrared modified model is introduced which allows studying the effects of the analytic structure as well as the geometry in a clear manner. In this context, we show that if a class of infrared vanishing effective gluon propagators is considered, then the renormalized vacuum energy for a spherical bag is attractive, as required by the bag model to adjust hadron spectroscopy.

A compact, lightweight electrolytic water filter generates silver ions in concentrations of 50 to 100 parts per billion in the water flow system. Silver ions serve as effective bactericide/deodorizers. Ray Ward requested and received from NASA a technical information package on the Shuttle filter, and used it as basis for his own initial development, a home use filter.

A process is described for reconditioning fused alumina filters which have become clogged by the accretion of bismuth phosphate in the filter pores, The method consists in contacting such filters with faming sulfuric acid, and maintaining such contact for a substantial period of time.

A new model is presented, named collisional-gyro-water-bag (CGWB), which describes the collisional drift waves and ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) instabilities in a plasma column. This model is based on the kinetic gyro-water-bag approach recently developed [P. Morel et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 112109 (2007)] to investigate ion-temperature-gradient modes. In CGWB electron-neutral collisions have been introduced and are now taken into account. The model has been validated by comparing CGWB linear analysis with other models previously proposed and experimental results as well. Kinetic effects on collisional drift waves are investigated, resulting in a less effective growth rate, and the transition from collisional drift waves to ITG instability depending on the ion temperature gradient is studied.

In this paper we investigated the possibility to use moss bags to detect pollution inputs - metals, metalloids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - in sites chosen for their different land use (agricultural, urban/residential scenarios) and proximity to roads (sub-scenarios), in a fragmented conurbation of Campania (southern Italy). We focused on thirty-nine elements including rare earths. For most of them, moss uptake was higher in agricultural than in urban scenarios and in front road sites. Twenty PAHs were analyzed in a subset of agricultural sites; 4- and 5-ringed PAHs were the most abundant, particularly chrysene, fluoranthene and pyrene. Overall results indicated that investigated pollutants have a similar spatial distribution pattern over the entire study area, with road traffic and agricultural practices as the major diffuse pollution sources. Moss bags proved a very sensitive tool, able to discriminate between different land use scenarios and proximity to roads in a mixed rural-urban landscape. PMID:26855226

The clarification of biological feed stocks during the production of biopharmaceutical proteins is challenging when large quantities of particles must be removed, e.g., when processing crude plant extracts. Single-use depth filters are often preferred for clarification because they are simple to integrate and have a good safety profile. However, the combination of filter layers must be optimized in terms of nominal retention ratings to account for the unique particle size distribution in each feed stock. We have recently shown that predictive models can facilitate filter screening and the selection of appropriate filter layers. Here we expand our previous study by testing several filters with different retention ratings. The filters typically contain diatomite to facilitate the removal of fine particles. However, diatomite can interfere with the recovery of large biopharmaceutical molecules such as virus-like particles and aggregated proteins. Therefore, we also tested filtration devices composed solely of cellulose fibers and cohesive resin. The capacities of both filter types varied from 10 to 50 L m−2 when challenged with tobacco leaf extracts, but the filtrate turbidity was ~500-fold lower (~3.5 NTU) when diatomite filters were used. We also tested pre–coat filtration with dispersed diatomite, which achieved capacities of up to 120 L m−2 with turbidities of ~100 NTU using bulk plant extracts, and in contrast to the other depth filters did not require an upstream bagfilter. Single pre-coat filtration devices can thus replace combinations of bag and depth filters to simplify the processing of plant extracts, potentially saving on time, labor and consumables. The protein concentrations of TSP, DsRed and antibody 2G12 were not affected by pre-coat filtration, indicating its general applicability during the manufacture of plant-derived biopharmaceutical proteins. PMID:26734037

Ultrasonic imaging in the C-scan mode in conjunction with the amplitude of the reflected signal was used to measure flow rates of an epoxy resin film penetrating through the thickness of single layers of woven carbon fabric. Assemblies, comprised of a single layer of fabric and film, were vacuum-bagged and ultrasonically scanned in a water tank during impregnation at 50°C, 60°C, 70°C, and 80°C. Measured flow rates were plotted versus inverse viscosity to determine the permeability in the thin film, non-saturated system. The results demonstrated that ultrasonic imaging in the C-scan mode is an effective method of measuring z-direction resin flow through a single layer of fabric. The permeability values determined in this work were consistent with permeability values reported in the literature. Capillary flow was not observed at the temperatures and times required for pressurized flow to occur. The flow rate at 65°C was predicted from the linear plot of flow rate versus inverse viscosity. The effects of fabric architecture on through-thickness flow rates during impregnation of an epoxy resin film were measured by ultrasonic imaging. Multilayered laminates comprised of woven carbon fabrics and epoxy films (prepregs) were fabricated by vacuum-bagging. Ultrasonic imaging was performed in a heated water tank (65°C) during impregnation. Impregnation rates showed a strong dependence on fabric architecture, despite similar areal densities. Impregnation rates are directly affected by inter-tow spacing and tow nesting, which depend on fabric architecture, and are indirectly affected by areal densities. A new method of predicting resin infusion rates in prepreg and resin film infusion processes was proposed. The Stokes equation was used to derive an equation to predict the impregnation rate of laminates as a function of fabric architecture. Flow rate data previously measured by ultrasound was analyzed with the new equation and the Kozeny-Carman equation. A fiber

We investigated the mechanism of injury in a consecutive series of 153 confirmed scaphoid fractures. We found that ten (6%) occurred as a result of using a 'test your strength' punch-bag machine, a device found in public houses and amusement arcades. Clinicians should be aware that scaphoid fractures can occur as a result of punching these machines or other similar objects. PMID:20100710

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to launch a network of scientific probes to Mars beginning in late 1996. The precursor to this network will be PATHFINDER. Decelerating PATHFINDER from the high speed of its approach to Mars will require the use of several deceleration techniques working in series. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has proposed that gas bags be used to cushion the payload`s ground impact on Mars. This report presents the computer code, BAG, which has been developed to calculate the pneumatic performance of gas bag impact attenuators and the one-dimensional rigid-body dynamic performance of a payload during ground impact.

In this paper, the design & performance of two dimensional (2-D) photonic crystal structure based channel drop filter is investigated using quad shaped photonic crystal ring resonator. In this paper, Photonic Crystal (PhC) based on square lattice periodic arrays of Gallium Indium Phosphide (GaInP) rods in air structure have been investigated using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method and photonic band gap is being calculated using Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) method. The PhC designs have been optimized for telecommunication wavelength λ= 1571 nm by varying the rods lattice constant. The number of rods in Z and X directions is 21 and 20, with lattice constant 0.540 nm it illustrates that the arrangement of Gallium Indium Phosphide (GaInP) rods in the structure which gives the overall size of the device around 11.4 µm × 10.8 µm. The designed filter gives good dropping efficiency using 3.298, refractive index. The designed structure is useful for CWDM systems. This device may serve as a key component in photonic integrated circuits. The device is ultra compact with the overall size around 123 µm2.

Background The Transfusion Medicine Unit of Reggio Emilia currently collects whole blood using conventional quadruple Fresenius Top & Top bags. In this study, new Fresenius Top & Bottom bags were assessed and compared to the routine method with regards to product quality and operational requirements. Material and methods Twenty-one whole blood units were collected with both the new and the traditional bags, and then separated. Quality control data were evaluated and compared in order to estimate yield and quality of final blood components obtained with the two systems. We collected other bags, not included in the ordinary quality control programme, for comparison of platelet concentrates produced by pools of buffy coat. Results Compared to the traditional system, the whole blood units processed with Top & Bottom bags yielded larger plasma volumes (+5.7%) and a similar amount of concentrated red blood cells, but with a much lower contamination of lymphocytes (−61.5%) and platelets (−86.6%). Consequently, the pooled platelets contained less plasma (−26.3%) and were significantly richer in platelets (+17.9%). Discussion This study investigated the effect of centrifugation on the adhesiveness of the buffy coat to the bag used for whole blood collection. We analysed the mechanism by which this undesirable phenomenon affects the quality of packed red blood cells in two types of bags. We also documented the incomparability of measurements on platelet concentrates performed with different principles of cell counting: this vexing problem has important implications for biomedical research and for the establishment of universal product standards. Our results support the conclusion that the Top & Bottom bags produce components of higher quality than our usual system, while having equal operational efficiency. Use of the new bags could result in an important quality improvement in blood components manufacturing. PMID:25545866

Purpose: To report findings that could suggest an elliptical shape of the capsular bag. Methods: Five eyes of three patients with axial length greater than 24 mm underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery with plate-haptic multifocal toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation oriented in the vertical meridian. Results: In all cases, correct orientation of the IOLs was verified 30 minutes after surgery. After 24 hours, all eyes demonstrated unwanted rotation of the IOLs ranging from 15 to 45 degrees. The IOLs remained stable in the new position in all cases until adhesion of the capsular bag took place. Conclusion: These observations could suggest that the perimeter of the capsular bag has an elliptical shape. Therefore, the IOL tends to become fixated in a meridian of the capsular bag that best fits the diagonal diameter of the IOL. PMID:27413495

Proteasome inhibitors exhibit antitumoral activity against malignancies of different histology. Emerging evidence indicates that antiapoptotic factors may also accumulate as a consequence of exposure to these drugs, thus it seems plausible that activation of survival signaling cascades might compromise their antitumoral effects. Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family proteins are characterized by their property of interaction with a variety of partners involved in modulating the proliferation/death balance, including heat shock proteins (HSP), Bcl-2, Raf-1. In this report, we demonstrated that BAG3 is a novel antiapoptotic molecule induced by proteasome inhibitors in various cancer cells at the transcriptional level. Moreover, we demonstrated that BAG3 knockdown by siRNA sensitized cancer cells to MG132-induced apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggest that BAG3 induction might represents as an unwanted molecular consequence of utilizing proteasome inhibitors to combat tumors.

A method to predict the change of the cushion pressure and the bag skirt configuration of ACV in heave is proposed. It is a quasistatic analysis based on the analysis of the skirt configuration in static operation that was proposed by the present authors. The cushion pressure depends on the velocity of motion as well as the hoverheight. It is higher in the downward motion than in the upward motion with the same hoverheight. As the model approaches the ground surface, the bag skirt is pushed outwards and also upwards but the hoverheight still decreases. This produces the increase of the cushion pressure that also flattened the configuration of the bag. The outward displacement of the bag produces the additional increase of the cushion base area and increases the restoring force. The stability is then increased.

In a non-perturbative bag model framework, gluon exchange which mediates quark exchange scattering in conjunction with quark interchange is shown to be the basis of the OBE interactions of hyperons at low energy.

Marshall Space Flight Center Director Wernher von Braun presents General J.B. Medaris with a new golf bag. General Medaris, (left) was a Commander of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama during 1955 to 1958.

In oxide superconductors the local suppression of antiferromagnetic correlations in the vicinity of a hole lowers the energy of the system. This quasi two-dimensional bag of weakened spin order follows the hole in its motion. In addition, holes prefer to share a bag, leading to a strong pairing attraction and a high Tc superconductivity. There are many experimental consequences of this mechanism for both the superconducting and normal phases.

This article presents a reverse modeling of the headform when wearing a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation based on the modeling. The whole model containing the upper respiratory airway, headform, and FFR was directly recorded by computed tomography (CT) scanning, and a medical contrast medium was used to make the FFR "visible." The FFR was normally worn by the subject during CT scanning so that the actual deformation of both the FFR and the face muscles during contact can be objectively conserved. The reverse modeling approach was introduced to rebuild the geometric model and convert it into a CFD solvable model. In this model, we conducted a transient numerical simulation of air flow containing carbon dioxide, thermal dynamics, and pressure and wall shear stress distribution in the respiratory system taking into consideration an individual wearing a FFR. The breathing cycle was described as a time-dependent profile of the air velocity through the respiratory airway. The result shows that wearing the N95 FFR results in CO2 accumulation, an increase in temperature and pressure elevation inside the FFR cavity. The volume fraction of CO2 reaches 1.2% after 7 breathing cycles and then is maintained at 3.04% on average. The wearers re-inhale excessive CO2 in every breathing cycle from the FFR cavity. The air temperature in the FFR cavity increases rapidly at first and then stays close to the exhaled temperature. Compared to not wearing an FFR, wearers have to increase approximately 90 Pa more pressure to keep the same breathing flow rate of 30.54 L/min after wearing an FFR. The nasal vestibule bears more wall shear stress than any other area in the airway. PMID:26653154

BAG3 is a cellular protein that is expressed predominantly in skeletal and cardiac muscle but can also be found in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system. BAG3 functions in the cell include: serving as a co-chaperone with members of the heat-shock protein family of proteins to facilitate the removal of misfolded and degraded proteins, inhibiting apoptosis by interacting with Bcl2 and maintaining the structural integrity of the Z-disk in muscle by binding with CapZ. The importance of BAG3 in the homeostasis of myocytes and its role in the development of heart failure was evidenced by the finding that single allelic mutations in BAG3 were associated with familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, significant decreases in the level of BAG3 have been found in end-stage failing human heart and in animal models of heart failure including mice with heart failure secondary to trans-aortic banding and in pigs after myocardial infarction. Thus, it becomes relevant to understand the cellular biology and molecular regulation of BAG3 expression in order to design new therapies for the treatment of patients with both hereditary and non-hereditary forms of dilated cardiomyopathy. PMID:25925243

OBJECTIVES: This analysis provided effectiveness estimates of the driver-side air bag while controlling for severity of the crash and other potential confounders. METHODS: Data were from the National Automotive Sampling System (1993-1996). Injury severity was described on the basis of the Abbreviated Injury Scale, Injury Severity Score, Functional Capacity Index, and survival. Ordinal, linear, and logistic multivariate regression methods were used. RESULTS: Air bag deployment in frontal or near-frontal crashes decreases the probability of having severe and fatal injuries (e.g., Abbreviated Injury Scale score of 4-6), including those causing a long-lasting high degree of functional limitation. However, air bag deployment in low-severity crashes increases the probability that a driver (particularly a woman) will sustain injuries of Abbreviated Injury Scale level 1 to 3. Air bag deployment exerts a net injurious effect in low-severity crashes and a net protective effect in high-severity crashes. The level of crash severity at which air bags are protective is higher for female than for male drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Air bag improvement should minimize the injuries induced by their deployment. One possibility is to raise their deployment level so that they deploy only in more severe crashes. PMID:11029991

This study investigates the possibilities of local hydrology signal extraction using GRACE data and conventional filtering techniques. The impact of the basin shape has also been studied in order to derive empirical rules for tuning the GRACE filter parameters. GRACE CSR Release 05 monthly solutions were used from April 2002 to August 2015 (161 monthly solutions in total). SLR data were also used to replace the GRACE C2,0 coefficient, and a de-correlation filter with optimal parameters for CSR Release 05 data was applied to attenuate the correlation errors of monthly mass differences. For basins located at higher latitudes, the effect of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) was taken into account using the ICE-6G model. The study focuses on three geometric properties, i.e., the area, the convexity and the width in the longitudinal direction, of 100 basins with global distribution. Two experiments have been performed. The first one deals with the determination of the Gaussian smoothing radius that minimizes the gaussianity of GRACE equivalent water height (EWH) over the selected basins. The EWH kurtosis was selected as a metric of gaussianity. The second experiment focuses on the derivation of the Gaussian smoothing radius that minimizes the RMS difference between GRACE data and a hydrology model. The GLDAS 1.0 Noah hydrology model was chosen, which shows good agreement with GRACE data according to previous studies. Early results show that there is an apparent relation between the geometric attributes of the basins examined and the Gaussian radius derived from the two experiments. The kurtosis analysis experiment tends to underestimate the optimal Gaussian radius, which is close to 200-300 km in many cases. Empirical rules for the selection of the Gaussian radius have been also developed for sub-regional scale basins.

A test program conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) investigated the use of a transport model to estimate the volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration in the void volume of a waste drum. Unsteady-state VOC transport model equations account for VOC permeation of polymer bags, VOC diffusion across openings in layers of confinement, and VOC solubility in a polyethylene drum liner. In support of this program, the VOC permeability of polymer bags and VOC equilibrium concentration in a polyethylene drum liner were measured for nine VOCs. The VOCs used in experiments were dichloromethane, carbon tetrachloride, cyclohexane, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, methanol, 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (Freon-113), trichloroethylene, and p-xylene. The experimental results of these measurements as well as a method of estimating both parameters in the absence of experimental data are described in this report.

This study examines underwater soft tissue decomposition of dismembered pig limbs deposited in polyethylene plastic bags. The research evaluates the level of influence that disposal method has on underwater decomposition processes and details observations specific to this scenario. To our knowledge, no other study has yet investigated decomposing, dismembered, and enclosed remains in water environments. The total sample size consisted of 120 dismembered pig limbs, divided into a subsample of 30 pig limbs per recovery period (34 and 71 days) for each treatment. The two treatments simulated non-enclosed and plastic enclosed disposal methods in a water context. The remains were completely submerged in Lake Ontario for 34 and 71 days. In both recovery periods, the non-enclosed samples lost soft tissue to a significantly greater extent than their plastic enclosed counterparts. Disposal of remains in plastic bags therefore results in preservation, most likely caused by bacterial inhibition and reduced oxygen levels. PMID:19761471

Abstract Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157) is the most commonly identified serotype of STEC in the United States. An estimated 63,000 STEC O157 infections occur annually. Infection typically results in diarrhea, bloody stool, abdominal cramps, and, in some cases, hemolytic uremic syndrome. Recent outbreaks of STEC O157 have increasingly been associated with consumption of leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach. We investigated an outbreak of STEC O157 associated with the consumption of bagged salad with cases clustered in various institutional settings. A case-control study was conducted among cases from selected schools with controls matched by school and grade. Seventeen cases from three U.S. states were identified. The median age of cases was 23 years (range: 3-88) and 13 (76%) were female. Six cases were hospitalized and two died. Onset dates ranged from April 29 to May 12, 2012. The matched case-control analysis identified a single significant food service exposure: consumption of lettuce provided by a school cafeteria (median odds ratio=9.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.4-∞, p=0.0469). The implicated bagged salad product was traced back to a single production facility. Implicated growing areas were scheduled for heightened inspection for the upcoming growing season. A combination of analytical epidemiologic studies among subclusters of cases, surveillance, and traceback implicated bagged salad in this outbreak investigation. PMID:24823788

The amount of H{sub 2} diffusion through twist and tape (horse-tail), wire tie, plastic tie, and heat sealed closures on transuranic (TRU) waste bag-out bags has been determined. H{sub 2} diffusion through wire and plastic tie closures on TRU waste bag-out bags has not been previously characterized and, as such, TRU waste drums containing bags with these closures cannot be certified and/or shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Since wire ties have been used at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from 1980 to 1991 and the plastic ties from 1991 to the present, there are currently thousands of waste drums that cannot be shipped to the WIPP site. Repackaging the waste would be prohibitively expensive. Diffusion experiments performed on the above mentioned closures show that the diffusion rates of plastic tie and horse-tail closures are greater than the accepted value presented in the TRU-PACT 11 Safety Analysis Report (SAR). Diffusion rates for wire tie closures are not statistically different from the SAR value. Thus, drums containing bags with these closures can now potentially be certified which would allow for their consequent shipment to WIPP.

A vertical vessel having a lower inlet and an upper outlet enclosure separated by a main horizontal tube sheet. The inlet enclosure receives the flue gas from a boiler of a power system and the outlet enclosure supplies cleaned gas to the turbines. The inlet enclosure contains a plurality of particulate-removing clusters, each having a plurality of filter units. Each filter unit includes a filter clean-gas chamber defined by a plate and a perforated auxiliary tube sheet with filter tubes suspended from each tube sheet and a tube connected to each chamber for passing cleaned gas to the outlet enclosure. The clusters are suspended from the main tube sheet with their filter units extending vertically and the filter tubes passing through the tube sheet and opening in the outlet enclosure. The flue gas is circulated about the outside surfaces of the filter tubes and the particulate is absorbed in the pores of the filter tubes. Pulses to clean the filter tubes are passed through their inner holes through tubes free of bends which are aligned with the tubes that pass the clean gas.

A vertical vessel is described having a lower inlet and an upper outlet enclosure separated by a main horizontal tube sheet. The inlet enclosure receives the flue gas from a boiler of a power system and the outlet enclosure supplies cleaned gas to the turbines. The inlet enclosure contains a plurality of particulate-removing clusters, each having a plurality of filter units. Each filter unit includes a filter clean-gas chamber defined by a plate and a perforated auxiliary tube sheet with filter tubes suspended from each tube sheet and a tube connected to each chamber for passing cleaned gas to the outlet enclosure. The clusters are suspended from the main tube sheet with their filter units extending vertically and the filter tubes passing through the tube sheet and opening in the outlet enclosure. The flue gas is circulated about the outside surfaces of the filter tubes and the particulate is absorbed in the pores of the filter tubes. Pulses to clean the filter tubes are passed through their inner holes through tubes free of bends which are aligned with the tubes that pass the clean gas. 18 figs.

Cataract still remains the leading cause of blindness affecting 20 million people worldwide. To restore the patients vision the natural lens is removed and replaced by an intraocular lens (IOL). In modern cataract surgery the posterior capsular bag is maintained to prevent inflammation and to enable stabilization of the implant. Refractive changes following cataract surgery are attributable to lens misalignments occurring due to postoperative shifts and tilts of the artificial lens. Mechanical eye models allow a preoperative investigation of the impact of such misalignments and are crucial to improve the quality of the patients' sense of sight. Furthermore, the success of sophisticated IOLs that correct high order aberrations is depending on a critical evaluation of the lens position. A new type of an IOL holder is designed and implemented into a preexisting mechanical eye model. A physiological representation of the capsular bag is realized with an integrated film element to guarantee lens stabilization and centering. The positioning sensitivity of the IOL is evaluated by performing shifts and tilts in reference to the optical axis. The modulation transfer function is used to measure the optical quality at each position. Lens stability tests within the holder itself are performed by determining the modulation transfer function before and after measurement sequence. Mechanical stability and reproducible measurement results are guaranteed with the novel capsular bag model that allows a precise interpretation of postoperative lens misalignments. The integrated film element offers additional stabilization during measurement routine without damaging the haptics or deteriorating the optical performance.

The stability of 41 selected breath constituents in three types of polymer sampling bags, Tedlar, Kynar, and Flexfilm, was investigated using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The tested molecular species belong to different chemical classes (hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes, aromatics, sulphurs, esters, terpenes, etc.) and exhibit close-to-breath low ppb levels (3–12 ppb) with the exception of isoprene, acetone and acetonitrile (106 ppb, 760 ppb, 42 ppb respectively). Stability tests comprised the background emission of contaminants, recovery from dry samples, recovery from humid samples (RH 80% at 37 °C), influence of the bag’s filling degree, and reusability. Findings yield evidence of the superiority of Tedlar bags over remaining polymers in terms of background emission, species stability (up to 7 days for dry samples), and reusability. Recoveries of species under study suffered from the presence of high amounts of water (losses up to 10%). However, only heavier volatiles, with molecular masses higher than 90, exhibited more pronounced losses (20–40%). The sample size (the degree of bag filling) was found to be one of the most important factors affecting the sample integrity. To sum up, it is recommended to store breath samples in pre-conditioned Tedlar bags up to 6 hours at the maximum possible filling volume. Among the remaining films, Kynar can be considered as an alternative to Tedlar; however, higher losses of compounds should be expected even within the first hours of storage. Due to the high background emission Flexfilm is not suitable for sampling and storage of samples for analyses aiming at volatiles at a low ppb level. PMID:23323261

Operation of reverse air fabric filters on Baltimore Gas and Electric's C. P. Crane Units 1 and 2 cyclone boilers is documented. Beginning immediately after startup, tubesheet pressure drop increased to high levels. Following stabilization with sonic horns and spare reverse air fans, an investigation was mounted. Diagnostic tools included both laboratory and slipstream pilot baghouses to determine cause and evaluate candidate methods of reduting pressure drop. Fundamental ash properties determined through laboratory pilot testing were in conformance with predictions. Alternate fabrics and coatings did not eliminate the problem. The root cause of the problem was that the amount of variable cake, i.e. that ash removed during cleaning, plays an important role in the dynamics of bag cleansing. These dynamics were absent in the C. P. Crane filters. Confirmation was obtained in the full scale baghouse through modification of the variable cake weight using ash reinjection. Finally, offsetting pressure drop and power consumption reductions have been obtained to achieve satisfactory operation of the baghouses.

A double vacuum bag molding assembly with improved void management and laminate net shape control which provides a double vacuum enviromnent for use in fabricating composites from prepregs containing air and/or volatiles such as reactive resin matrix composites or composites from solvent containing prepregs with non-reactive resins matrices. By using two vacuum environments during the curing process, a vacuum can be drawn during a B-stage of a two-step cycle without placing the composite under significant relative pressure. During the final cure stage, a significant pressure can be applied by releasing the vacuum in one of the two environments. Inner and outer bags are useful for creating the two vacuum environments with a perforated tool intermediate the two. The composite is placed intermediate a tool plate and a caul plate in the first environment with the inner bag and tool plate defining the first environment. The second environment is characterized by the outer bag which is placed over the inner bag and the tool plate.

The single cavity all-dielectric thin film Fabry-Perot filter (s-AFPF) has been theoretically investigated in this paper as a means of tuning the wavelength in an external cavity diode laser (ECDL), and the means of limiting longitudinal mode hopping has been also theoretically investigated. When a TE or TM plane wave irradiates an s-AFPF, a quasi-linear relationship is found in a certain wavelength range between the optical intensity peak transmittance wavelength of s-AFPF and the cosine value of plane wave incident angle at s-AFPF. Based on this feature, we proposed and theoretically investigated an ECDL configuration based on an s-AFPF. By theoretical calculation, the actuator flat edge against the steel ball may be replaced by a bent edge to convert the mode-hop wavelength region into mode-hop-free wavelength region. The ECDL can be used in the application of environmental monitoring, atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy research, precise measurements, and so on.

Mediators of PI3K/AKT signaling have been implicated in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Studies have shown that inhibitors of PI3K/AKT signaling, such as wortmannin and LY294002, are able to inhibit CML and AML cell proliferation and synergize with targeted tyrosine kinase inhi-bitors. We investigated the ability of BAG956, a dual PI3K/PDK-1 inhibitor, to be used in combination with inhibitors of BCR-ABL and mutant FLT3, as well as with the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, and the rapamycin derivative, RAD001. BAG956 was shown to block AKT phosphorylation induced by BCR-ABL–, and induce apoptosis of BCR-ABL–expressing cell lines and patient bone marrow cells at concentrations that also inhibit PI3K signaling. Enhancement of the inhibitory effects of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors, imatinib and nilotinib, by BAG956 was demonstrated against BCR-ABL expressing cells both in vitro and in vivo. We have also shown that BAG956 is effective against mutant FLT3-expressing cell lines and AML patient bone marrow cells. Enhancement of the inhibitory effects of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, PKC412, by BAG956 was demonstrated against mutant FLT3-expressing cells. Finally, BAG956 and rapamycin/RAD001 were shown to combine in a nonantagonistic fashion against BCR-ABL– and mutant FLT3-expressing cells both in vitro and in vivo. PMID:18184863

Predicting turbulent transport in nearly collisionless fusion plasmas requires one to solve kinetic (or, more precisely, gyrokinetic) equations. In spite of considerable progress, several pending issues remain; although more accurate, the kinetic calculation of turbulent transport is much more demanding in computer resources than fluid simulations. An alternative approach is based on a water-bag representation of the distribution function that is not an approximation but rather a special class of initial conditions, allowing one to reduce the full kinetic Vlasov equation into a set of hydrodynamic equations while keeping its kinetic character. The main result for the water-bag model is a lower cost in the parallel velocity direction since no differential operator associated with some approximate numerical scheme has to be carried out on this variable v{sub parallel}. Indeed, a small bag number is sufficient to correctly describe the ion temperature gradient instability.

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB), the common logistics carrying bag for the International Space Station (ISS). After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unfolded into a flat panel for reuse. Concepts and potential benefits for various MCTB applications will be discussed including partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing. Acoustic MCTBs are currently in use on ISS to reduce the noise generated by the T2 treadmill, which reaches the hazard limit at high speeds. The development of the AMCTB included identification of keep-out zones, acoustic properties, deployment considerations, and structural testing. Features developed for these considerations are applicable to MCTBs for all crew outfitting applications.

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) division is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB), the common logistics carrying bag for the International Space Station (ISS). After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unfolded into a flat panel for reuse. Concepts and potential benefits for various MCTB applications will be discussed including partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing. Acoustic MCTBs are currently in use on ISS to reduce the noise generated by the T2 treadmill, which reaches the hazard limit at high speeds. The development of the AMCTB included identification of keep out zones, acoustic properties, deployment considerations, and structural testing. Features developed for these considerations are applicable to MCTBs for all crew outfitting applications.

A new approach to the theory of high-temperature superconductivity is proposed, based on the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin correlations observed in these materials over distances large compared to the lattice spacing. The spin ordering produces an electronic pseudogap which is locally suppressed by the addition of a hole. This suppression forms a bag inside which the hole is self-consistently trapped. Two holes are attracted by sharing a common bag. The resulting pairing interaction leads to a superconducting energy gap which is nodeless over the Femri surface.

Leading and subleading twist transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) are studied in a quark model framework provided by the bag model. A complete set of relations among different TMDs is derived, and the question is discussed how model-(in)dependent such relations are. A connection of the pretzelosity distribution and quark orbital angular momentum is derived. Numerical results are presented, and applications for phenomenology discussed. In particular, it is shown that in the valence-x region the bag model supports a Gaussian Ansatz for the transverse momentum dependence of TMDs.

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is an uncommon but particularly striking phenomenon characterised by a chemical reaction involving the urine, plastic and certain enzymes from some sulphatase- and phosphatase-producing bacteria, including Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli and Morganella morganii, amongst others. Following this reaction, the catheter and the bag may be stained red, blue or purple. This phenomenon tends to occur in patients with multiple pathology and with urinary catheters, as part of a urinary tract infection. We describe two clinical cases of PUBS in institutionalised patients with permanent urinary catheters. PMID:23199817

Leading and subleading-twist transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) are studied in a quark-model framework provided by the bag model. A complete set of relations among different TMDs is derived, and the question is discussed how model (in)dependent such relations are. A connection of the pretzelosity distribution and quark orbital angular momentum is derived. Numerical results are presented, and applications for phenomenology are discussed. In particular, it is shown that in the valence-x region the bag model supports a Gaussian Ansatz for the transverse momentum dependence of TMDs.

Leading and subleading twist transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) are studied in a quark model framework provided by the bag model. A complete set of relations among different TMDs is derived, and the question is discussed how model-(in)dependent such relations are. A connection of the pretzelosity distribution and quark orbital angular momentum is derived. Numerical results are presented, and applications for phenomenology discussed. In particular, it is shown that in the valence-x region the bag model supports a Gaussian Ansatz for the transverse momentum dependence of TMDs.

A quick-change filter cartridge. In sampling systems for measurement of airborne materials, a filter element is introduced into the sampled airstream such that the aerosol constituents are removed and deposited on the filter. Fragile sampling media often require support in order to prevent rupture during sampling, and careful mounting and sealing to prevent misalignment, tearing, or creasing which would allow the sampled air to bypass the filter. Additionally, handling of filter elements may introduce cross-contamination or exposure of operators to toxic materials. Moreover, it is desirable to enable the preloading of filter media into quick-change cartridges in clean laboratory environments, thereby simplifying and expediting the filter-changing process in the field. The quick-change filter cartridge of the present invention permits the application of a variety of filter media in many types of instruments and may also be used in automated systems. The cartridge includes a base through which a vacuum can be applied to draw air through the filter medium which is located on a porous filter support and held there by means of a cap which forms an airtight seal with the base. The base is also adapted for receiving absorbing media so that both particulates and gas-phase samples may be trapped for investigation, the latter downstream of the aerosol filter.

Amyloid-beta (Aβ) binds to various neuronal receptors and elicits a context- and dose-dependent toxic or trophic response from neurons. The molecular mechanisms for this phenomenon are presently unknown. The cochaperone BAG2 has been shown to mediate important cellular responses to stress, including cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Here, we use SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells to characterize BAG2 expression and regulation and investigate the involvement of BAG2 in Aβ1-42-mediated neurotrophism or neurotoxicity in the context of differentiation. We report that BAG2 is upregulated on differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells into neuron-like cells. This increase in BAG2 expression is accompanied by a change in response to treatment with Aβ1-42 from neurotrophic to neurotoxic. Further, overexpression of BAG2 in undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells was sufficient to induce the change from neurotrophic to neurotoxic response. Of several transcription factors queried, the putative BAG2 promoter had a higher-than-expected occurrence of response elements (RE) for nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). Treatment with JSH-23, a potent inhibitor of NF-κB, caused a marked increase in BAG2 mRNA expression, suggesting that NF-κB is a repressor of BAG2 transcription in undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells. Together, these data suggest that NF-κB-mediated modulation of BAG2 expression constitutes a "switch" that regulates the shift between the neurotrophic and neurotoxic effects of Aβ1-42. PMID:25985852

Few studies have examined response to regulatory change over time, or addressed hunter attitudes about changes in hunting bag limits. This article explores Minnesota waterfowl hunters’ attitudes about duck bag limits, examining attitudes about two state duck bag limits that were initially more restrictive than the maximum set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), but then increased to match federal limits. Results are from four mail surveys that examined attitudes about bag limits over time. Following two bag limit increases, a greater proportion of hunters rated the new bag limit “too high” and a smaller proportion rated it “too low.” Several years following the first bag limit increase, the proportion of hunters who indicated that the limit was “too high” had declined, suggesting hunter acceptance of the new regulation. Results suggest that waterfowl bag limits may represent legal norms that influence hunter attitudes and gain legitimacy over time.

The heavy metal content of several rubbish bags used to collect the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is shown in this paper. Nowadays, several public awareness campaigns carried out by municipalities have promoted rubbish bags based mainly on their appearance, without concern for their heavy metal content. A high amount of heavy metals was detected in some polyethylene bags promoted in different campaigns for OFMSW source-sorted collection, while compostable bags presented low quantities of heavy metals. Some other rubbish bags, as well as commercial bags, were also analysed for comparison. These results should be taken into account before promoting the use of one or other type of bag. Moreover, the rubbish bag manufacturers should reduce the heavy metal content in order to avoid heavy metal scattering in the environment, and also to reduce the consumption of raw materials. PMID:20400284

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is receiving lots of attention nowadays mainly because it is one of the common brain disorders among children and not much information is known about the cause of this disorder. In this study, we propose to use a novel approach for automatic classification of ADHD conditioned subjects and control subjects using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of resting state brains. For this purpose, we compute the correlation between every possible voxel pairs within a subject and over the time frame of the experimental protocol. A network of voxels is constructed by representing a high correlation value between any two voxels as an edge. A Bag-of-Words (BoW) approach is used to represent each subject as a histogram of network features; such as the number of degrees per voxel. The classification is done using a Support Vector Machine (SVM). We also investigate the use of raw intensity values in the time series for each voxel. Here, every subject is represented as a combined histogram of network and raw intensity features. Experimental results verified that the classification accuracy improves when the combined histogram is used. We tested our approach on a highly challenging dataset released by NITRC for ADHD-200 competition and obtained promising results. The dataset not only has a large size but also includes subjects from different demography and edge groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to propose BoW approach in any functional brain disorder classification and we believe that this approach will be useful in analysis of many brain related conditions.

Bean bag dampers (BBDs), developed from impact damping technology, have been widely applied in engineering field to attenuate the vibration of a structural system. The damping effect of a BBD on vibration control in ground gravity environments is good, but its performance in zero gravity environments is not clear, and there are few studies on it. Therefore, the damping effect of BBDs in zero gravity environments was investigated based on the discrete element method (DEM) in this paper. Firstly, a three-dimensional DEM model of a BBD was established, and the damping effects of the single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems with BBDs and non-obstructive particle dampers (NOPDs) in zero gravity environments were compared. Moreover, the influences of the diameter of the inner ball, the tightness of BBD, the vibration frequency of SDOF system and the gap between BBD and cavity on the vibration reduction effect of BBD in zero gravity environments were also studied, and the results were compared with the system with BBD in ground gravity environments. There are optimum ranges of the diameter of the inner ball, tightness and gap for BBD, and the effects of these parameters on the damping performances of BBD in gravity and zero gravity environments are similar in evolving trends, and the values are without big differences in the optimum ranges. Thereby the parameter selection in BBD design in zero gravity environments is similar to that in gravity environments. However, the diameter of BBD should be a slightly larger than the size of the cavity when the structures with BBD work in zero gravity environments. The BBD is supposed to be picked tightly when the vibration frequency is high, and the BBD has better to be picked more tightly in zero gravity environments. These results can be used as a guide in the design of BBDs in zero gravity environments.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of unstable support surfaces, i.e. foam pad, mung bean bag, and plastic bead bag, on postural stability disturbance. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-two healthy young adults (11 male and 11 female; aged 21.09 ± 1.44 years; BMI 20.40 ± 1.40 kg/m2) participated in the study. The Balance Master™ was used to evaluate the limit of stability and the unilateral stance performance. Each participant was assessed while standing on the following surfaces: 1) a firm surface, 2) a foam pad, 3) a mung bean bag, and 4) a plastic bead bag. The order of surfaces was randomly assigned. [Results] The mung bean bag and plastic bead bag showed greater disturbances in limit of stability and unilateral stance than the foam pad. There was no significant difference in postural stability disturbance between the mung bean bag and plastic bead bag. [Conclusion] These results suggested that both the mung bean bag and plastic bead bag could be used as a low-cost tool for balance assessment instead of a foam pad in healthy young adults. PMID:27065085

... affecting § 622.39, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the... person or, if more than 4 persons are aboard, 12 per boat. (f) Atlantic dolphin and wahoo. Bag and possession limits are as follows: (1) Dolphin—10, not to exceed 60 per vessel, whichever is less, except,...

... affecting § 622.39, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the... person or, if more than 4 persons are aboard, 12 per boat. (f) Atlantic dolphin and wahoo. Bag and possession limits are as follows: (1) Dolphin—10, not to exceed 60 per vessel, whichever is less, except,...

Turbulent transport is a key issue for controlled thermonuclear fusion based on magnetic confinement. The thermal confinement of a magnetized fusion plasma is essentially determined by the turbulent heat conduction across the equilibrium magnetic field. It has long been acknowledged, that the prediction of turbulent transport requires to solve Vlasov-type gyrokinetic equations. Although the kinetic description is more accurate than fluid models (MHD, gyro-fluid), because among other things it takes into account nonlinear resonant wave-particle interaction, kinetic modeling has the drawback of a huge computer resource request. An unifying approach consists in considering water-bag-like weak solutions of kinetic collisionless equations, which allow to reduce the full kinetic Vlasov equation into a set of hydrodynamic equations, while keeping its kinetic behaviour. As a result this exact reduction induces a multi-fluid numerical resolution cost. Therefore finding water-bag-like weak solutions of the gyrokinetic equations leads to the birth of the gyro-water-bag model. This model is suitable for studying linear and nonlinear low-frequency micro-instabilities and the associated anomalous transport in magnetically-confined plasmas. The present paper addresses the derivation of the nonlinear gyro-water-bag model, its quasilinear approximation and their numerical approximations by Runge-Kutta semi-Lagrangian methods and Runge-Kutta discontinuous Galerkin schemes respectively.

Kiondo Bag Boutique is a hypothetical serial case involving a start-up retail business. The case evolves from an ambitious business idea to a successful business. Through the evolving business, the importance of accounting information is highlighted. Different iterations are used to illustrate the role of accounting in serving and managing…

Portable bonding oven is formed to any desired size or configuration to attach doublers and brackets to the surfaces of large structures. A radiant heat source is used in combination with a heat resistant transport vacuum bag and a black heat absorbing cloth.

We describe an interesting case of a 40-year-old lady who developed a spontaneous low-pressure headache whilst playing the bag-pipes. Playing wind instruments requires the generation of significant intra-thoracic pressure, which may have contributed to this musician's condition. PMID:17445112

This article presents an activity that uses sandwich bags to represent an individual's genome (their genetic make-up), and two variations of various objects representing the alleles of various genes. This activity includes the major components of an introductory genetics unit: from gamete production through probabilities of expected offspring…

A previous analysis of fluid filled storage bags is extended to the case of a long fluid filled cylindrical membrane supported by uniform line loads. Cross-sectional shape, stiffness of the support system and stress resultants in the membrane are determined. The application of the numerical results to problems arising in the design of nonrigid airships is discussed.

... gasoline vapor at room temperature (24-30 °C./75-85 °F.) for a continuous period of twice the rated time of the apparatus (except for apparatus for escape only where the test period shall be the rated time of the apparatus). (b) The bag will be operated during this test by a breathing machine with...

Pollination bags for making controlled crosses between switchgrass plants were made from a polyester micro-mesh fabric with a mesh size of 41 µm which is smaller than the mean reported 43 µm diameter of switchgrass pollen. When used in paired plant crosses between switchgrass plants, the mean amoun...

Consumer's preferences and market demand are essential factors for product's success. Thus, in achieving its success, a product should have design that could fulfill consumer's expectation. Purpose of this research is accomplishing baby bag product as stipulated by Kansei. The results that represent Kanseiwords are; neat, unique, comfortable, safe, modern, gentle, elegant, antique, attractive, simple, spacious, creative, colorful, durable, stylish, smooth and strong. Identification value on significance of correlation for durable attribute is 0,000 < 0,005, which means significant to baby's bag. While the value of coefficient regression is 0,812 < 0,005, which means that durable attribute insignificant to baby's bag.The result of the baby's bag final design selectionbased on the questionnaire 3 is resulting the combination of all design. Space for clothes, diaper's space, shoulder grip, side grip, bottle's heater pocket and bottle's pocket are derived from design 1. Top grip, space for clothes, shoulder grip, and side grip are derived from design 2.Others design that were taken are, spaces for clothes from design 3, diaper's space and clothes’ space from design 4.

... must be made waterproof by the use of either a water-resistant ply as one of the two outermost plies or... 5M2 bag of three plies must be made waterproof by the use of a water-resistant ply as the outermost... waterproof ply or barrier, such as double-tarred kraft paper, plastics-coated kraft paper, plastics...

... must be made waterproof by the use of either a water-resistant ply as one of the two outermost plies or... 5M2 bag of three plies must be made waterproof by the use of a water-resistant ply as the outermost... waterproof ply or barrier, such as double-tarred kraft paper, plastics-coated kraft paper, plastics...

... must be made waterproof by the use of either a water-resistant ply as one of the two outermost plies or... 5M2 bag of three plies must be made waterproof by the use of a water-resistant ply as the outermost... waterproof ply or barrier, such as double-tarred kraft paper, plastics-coated kraft paper, plastics...

... must be made waterproof by the use of either a water-resistant ply as one of the two outermost plies or... 5M2 bag of three plies must be made waterproof by the use of a water-resistant ply as the outermost... waterproof ply or barrier, such as double-tarred kraft paper, plastics-coated kraft paper, plastics...

... more must be made waterproof by the use of either a water-resistant ply as one of the two outermost... plies. A 5M2 bag of three plies must be made waterproof by the use of a water-resistant ply as the... waterproof ply or barrier, such as double-tarred kraft paper, plastics-coated kraft paper, plastics...

A partial-wave helicity-state analysis of nucleon-nucleon scattering is carried out in momentum space. Its basis is a one-boson and two-pion exchange amplitude from bag-model quantum chromodynamics. The resulting phase shifts and bound-state parameters of the deuteron are compared with data up to laboratory energies of ≈350 MeV.

Converting the pilot's flight bag information from paper to electronic media is being performed routinely by commercial airlines for use with an on-board PC. This concept is now being further advanced with a new class of electronic flight bags (EFB) recently put into commercial operation which interface directly with major on-board avionics systems and has its own dedicated panel mounted display. This display combines flight bag information with real time aircraft performance and maintenance data. This concept of an integrated EFB which is now being used by the commercial airlines as a level 1 certified system, needs to be explored for military applications. This paper describes a system which contains all the attributes of an Electronic Flight Bag with the addition of interfaces which are linked to military aircraft missions such as those for tankers, cargo haulers, search and rescue and maritime aircraft as well as GATM requirements. The adaptation of the integrated EFB to meet these military requirements is then discussed.

Bcl2-associated athoanogene (BAG) 3 is a member of the co-chaperone BAG family. It is induced by stressful stimuli such as heat shock and heavy metals, and it regulates cellular adaptive responses against stressful conditions. In this study, we identified a novel role for BAG3 in regulating the nuclear shuttling of HSF1 during heat stress. The expression level of BAG3 was induced by heat stress in HeLa cells. Interestingly, BAG3 rapidly translocalized to the nucleus upon heat stress. Immunoprecipitation assay showed that BAG3 interacts with HSF1 under normal and stressed conditions and co-translocalizes to the nucleus upon heat stress. We also demonstrated that BAG3 interacts with HSF1 via its BAG domain. Over-expression of BAG3 down-regulates the level of nuclear HSF1 by exporting it to the cytoplasm during the recovery period. Depletion of BAG3 using siRNA results in reduced nuclear HSF1 and decreased Hsp70 promoter activity. BAG3 in MEF(hsf1{sup −/−}) cells actively translocalizes to the nucleus upon heat stress suggesting that BAG3 plays a key role in the processing of the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of HSF1 upon heat stress. - Highlights: • The expression level of BAG3 is induced by heat stress. • BAG3 translocates to the nucleus upon heat stress. • BAG3 interacts with HSF1 and co-localizes to the nucleus. • BAG3 is a key regulator for HSF1 nuclear shuttling.

Numerous factors related to the composition of peritoneal dialysis solutions (PDS) contribute to the pathogenesis of peritoneal fibrosis during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). They include high osmolarity, low pH, and the presence of lactate, which may be responsible for stimulating the proliferation of peritoneal fibroblasts (PF) and for the toxicity on the peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMC). Similar effects could be hypothesized for the plasticizers released from the PDS bags, usually made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), such as the acid esters of phthalic acid, particularly bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (BEHP). Recently, however, new BEHP-free bags (Clear-Flex, Bieffe, Italy) made of three layers (polyethylene, nylon, and polypropylene) have been introduced. The aim of this work is to evaluate in vitro the effects of samples of PDS contained in PVC bags (Bieffe) and in Clear-Flex bags on the proliferative capacity of peritoneal fibroblasts and peritoneal mesothelial cells, and the release of interferon gamma (IFN gamma), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) from peritoneal T lymphocytes (PTLs) and macrophages (PM phi s). Results have shown that in the presence of PDS samples contained in PVC bags, the proliferative capacity of peritoneal fibroblasts was higher than in Clear-Flexbags. There was also an increased release of IFN-gamma and IL-1 from PTLs and PM phi s (cytokines that stimulate the collagen synthesis) and a decreased release of PGE2 (cytokines which inhibit the collagen synthesis). An inhibiting action on peritoneal mesothelial cells was also seen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:8105908

Introduction Operating on an enlarged spleen via the laparoscopic approach presents several challenges. A homemade bag may facilitate retrieval of the enlarged spleen assisted by a laparoscope and save medical expense. Aim To assess the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic splenectomy for moderate or massive splenomegaly using our technique and a homemade retrieval bag. Material and methods Fifty patients underwent laparoscopic splenectomy for moderate or massive splenomegaly which was defined as the major axis exceeding 17 cm by abdominal computed tomography. A homemade retrieval bag made from a commercial sterile infusion container which costs about US$ 1–2 per piece was used for spleen retrieval. Two transabdominal sutures for suspension of the retrieval bag were made to aid specimen removal in this technique. Results There were 31 males and 19 females with mean age of 56 ±11 years. Laparoscopic splenectomy was successfully completed in 49 of these 50 patients. Overall, mean operative time was 149 ±31 min (range: 100–252 min). Median estimated blood loss was 189 ±155 ml (range: 50–920 ml). There were 12 minor complications but no mortality. Time to discharge after surgery ranged from 3 to 9 (mean: 4.7 ±1.7 days). The average splenic weight was 729 ±74 g (range: 632–930 g). Conclusions Our preliminary results indicate that laparoscopic splenectomy is feasible and safe for moderate or massive splenomegaly and may be a well-tolerated alternative to open splenectomy. Not only is the cost of our homemade retrieval bag low, but also it is easy to make and ready to use. PMID:24501603

A silicone rubber vacuum bag for use in composite article manufacture is reusably sealed to a mold, without mechanical clamping means. The mold-mating portion of the bag is primed with a silicone rubber adhesive, which is cured thereto, and a layer of semiadhesive sealer is applied between the primed mold-mating portion of the bag and the mold.

Bag teas, packed 3g of ground black, green, oolong, paochoung and pu-erh tea leaves (the particle size used was 1-2mm), were steeped in 150 mL of 70, 85 or 100 degrees C hot water to study the effects of the number of steeping (the same bag tea was steeped repeatedly eight times, 30s each time, as done in China for making ceremonial tea) and varied steeping durations (0.5-4 min) on caffeine, catechins and gallic acid in tea infusions. The changes in tea infusions during storage at 4 or 25 degrees C for 0-48 h and the variations in these compounds of bag tea infused with 150 mL of 4 or 25 degrees C cold water for 0.5-16 h were also investigated. A HPLC method with a C18 column and a step gradient solvent system consisting of acetonitrile and 0.9% acetic acid in deionized water was used for analysis. Results for all kinds of tea samples showed that the second tea infusion contained the highest contents of caffeine, catechins and gallic acid when bag teas were steeped in 70 degrees C water. It was different from that steeped at 85 and 100 degrees C, the highest contents existed in the first infusion. These compounds decreased gradually in later infusions. Higher amounts of caffeine, catechins and gallic acid could be released from bag teas as hotter water was used. As steeping duration prolonged, these ingredients increased progressively, however, their levels were lower than that cumulated from the infusions with the identical bag tea prepared recurrently at the same temperature and time points. (-)-Gallocatechin gallate and (+)-catechin existed in these tea infusions rarely and could not be detected until a certain amount of them infusing. Except gallic acid that showed a significant increase and caffeine that exhibited no significant change, all kinds of catechins decreased appreciably after tea infusions were stored at 25 degrees C for 36 h; nevertheless, all of them showed no evident changes at 4 degrees C storage. The caffeine, catechins and gallic acid in tea

Seeking to find a more effective method of filtering potable water that was highly contaminated, Mike Pedersen, founder of Western Water International, learned that NASA had conducted extensive research in methods of purifying water on board manned spacecraft. The key is Aquaspace Compound, a proprietary WWI formula that scientifically blends various types of glandular activated charcoal with other active and inert ingredients. Aquaspace systems remove some substances; chlorine, by atomic adsorption, other types of organic chemicals by mechanical filtration and still others by catalytic reaction. Aquaspace filters are finding wide acceptance in industrial, commercial, residential and recreational applications in the U.S. and abroad.

Different methods exist for the determination of fibre concentration in feeds. To determine whether fibre recovery and the contamination of NDF by nitrogenous compounds are altered, we measured fibre concentrations in a diverse set of corn silages using three method modifications and two extraction/...

An experimental investigation has been made to determine the landing characteristics of a conical-shaped reentry capsule by using torus-shaped air bags for impact-load alleviation. An impact bag was attached below the large end of the capsule to absorb initial impact loads and a second bag was attached around the canister to absorb loads resulting from impact on the canister when the capsule overturned. A 1/6-scale dynamic model of the configuration was tested for nominal flight paths of 60 deg. and 90 deg. (vertical), a range of contact attitudes from -25 deg. to 30 deg., and a vertical contact velocity of 12.25 feet per second. Accelerations were measured along the X-axis (roll) and Z-axis (yaw) by accelerometers rigidly installed at the center of gravity of the model. Actual flight path, contact attitudes, and motions were determined from high-speed motion pictures. Landings were made on concrete and on water. The peak accelerations along the X-axis for landings on concrete were in the order of 3Og for a 0 deg. contact attitude. A horizontal velocity of 7 feet per second, corresponding to a flight path of 60 deg., had very little effect upon the peak accelerations obtained for landings on concrete. For contact attitudes of -25 deg. and 30 deg. the peak accelerations along the Z-axis were about +/- l5g, respectively. The peak accelerations measured for the water landings were about one-third lower than the peak accelerations measured for the landings on concrete. Assuming a rigid body, computations were made by using Newton's second law of motion and the force-stroke characteristics of the air bag to determine accelerations for a flight path of 90 deg. (vertical) and a contact attitude of 0 deg. The computed and experimental peak accelerations and strokes at peak acceleration were in good agreement for the model. The special scaling appears to be applicable for predicting full-scale time and stroke at peak acceleration for a landing on concrete from a 90 deg

Many young children come to school with prior experiences planting seeds in a garden or in a pot, watering them, and seeing them grow. These early scientific investigations are designed to help children understand that seeds need water, something to grow in (such as soil), and the right temperature to sprout--if these conditions are met, a seed…

The ammonia loss through Nalophan bags has been studied. The losses observed for storage conditions and times as allowed by the reference standard for dynamic olfactometry (EN 13725:2003) indicate that odour concentration values due to the presence of small molecules may be significantly underestimated if samples are not analysed immediately after sampling. A diffusion model was used in order to study diffusion through the bag. The study discusses the effect of concentration gradient (ΔC) across the polymeric membrane of the analyte. The ΔC was controlled by using a setup bag called “double bags.” Experimental data show a reduction of ammonia percentage losses due to the effect of the external multibarrier. The expedient of the double bag loaded with the same gas mixture allows a reduced diffusion of ammonia into the inner bag. Comparing the inner bag losses with those of the single bag stored in the same conditions (T, P, u) and with equal geometrical characteristics (S/V, z), it was observed that the inner bag of the double bag displays a 16% loss while the single bag displays a 37% loss. Acting on the ΔC it is possible to achieve a gross reduction of 57% in the ammonia leakage due to diffusion. PMID:25506608

The paper describes the performance of the Acurex ceramic bagfilter operating at temperatures up to 880C and pressures up to 930 kPa on particulate-laden flue gas from a pressurized fluidized-bed coal combustion (PFBC) unit on a slipstream of gas taken after the second stage cyc...

Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) are stored in cryopreservation bags that are resistant to liquid nitrogen. Since Cryocyte bags of Baxter (B-bags) are no longer available, an alternative bag was sought. Also, the influence of freezing volume was studied. Miltenyi Biotec (MB)- and MacoPharma (MP)-bags passed the integrity tests without failure. Comparing MB- and MP-bags with B-bags, no difference in WBC recovery or viability was found when using a WBC-enriched product as a "dummy" HPC product. Further, a freezing volume of 30 mL resulted in better WBC recovery and viability than 60 mL. Additonal studies using real HPC might be necessary. PMID:25582270

Flexible packaging bags palletizing production line is to put the bags in the required area according to particular order and size, in order to finish handling, storage, loading and unloading, transportation and other logistics work of goods. Flexible packaging bags palletizing line is composed of turning bags mechanism, shaping mechanism, indexing mechanism, marshalling mechanism, pushing bags mechanism, pressing bags mechanism, laminating mechanism, elevator, tray warehouse, tray conveyor and loaded tray conveyor. Whether the whole production line can smoothly run depends on each of the above equipment and precision control among them. In this paper the technological process and the control logic of flexible packaging bags palletizing production line is introduced. Palletizing process of the production line realized automation by means of a control system based on programmable logic controller (PLC). It has the advantages of simple structure, reliable and easy maintenance etc.

Solar disinfection (SODIS) of Escherichia coli suspensions in low-density polyethylene bag reactors was investigated as a low-cost disinfection method suitable for application in developing countries. The efficiency of a range of SODIS reactor configurations was examined (single skin (SS), double skin, black-backed single skin, silver-backed single skin (SBSS) and composite-backed single skin) using E. coli suspended in model and real surface water. Titanium dioxide was added to the reactors to improve the efficiency of the SODIS process. The effect of turbidity was also assessed. In addition to viable counts, E. coli injury was characterised through spread-plate analysis using selective and non-selective media. The optimal reactor configuration was determined to be the SBSS bag (t(50)=9.0min) demonstrating the importance of UVA photons, as opposed to infrared in the SODIS disinfection mechanism. Complete inactivation (6.5-log) was achieved in the presence of turbidity (50NTU) using the SBSS bag within 180min simulated solar exposure. The addition of titanium dioxide (0.025gL(-1)) significantly enhanced E. coli inactivation in the SS reactor, with 6-log inactivation observed within 90min simulated solar exposure. During the early stages of both SODIS and photocatalytic disinfection, injured E. coli were detected; however, irreversible injury was caused and re-growth was not observed. Experiments under solar conditions were undertaken with total inactivation (6.5-log) observed in the SS reactor within 240min, incomplete inactivation (4-log) was observed in SODIS bottles exposed to the same solar conditions. PMID:21982840

Ensemble classifier systems are considered as one of the most promising in medical data classification and the performance of deceision tree classifier can be increased by the ensemble method as it is proven to be better than single classifiers. However, in a ensemble settings the performance depends on the selection of suitable base classifier. This research employed two prominent esemble s namely Adaboost and Bagging with base classifiers such as Random Forest, Random Tree, j48, j48grafts and Logistic Model Regression (LMT) that have been selected independently. The empirical study shows that the performance varries when different base classifiers are selected and even some places overfitting issue also been noted. The evidence shows that ensemble decision tree classfiers using Adaboost and Bagging improves the performance of selected medical data sets.

A method is described for determining the general area of production of mourning doves that are shot during the hunting season. This procedure is based on the identification of racial characteristics that can be ascertained from samples of wings. The application and utility of this method were demonstrated with data gathered from doves shot in two important dove-hunting areas, Georgia and Texas. The Georgia data indicated that the early-season kill consisted largely of the race carolinensis, while later in the season marginella and the intermediate form made up most of the bag. The wing samples from Texas indicated that birds produced outside of southern Texas made up the largest part of the bag in southern Texas during the entire season. Doves produced west of the Appalachians contributed to both the Georgia and Texas kill.

A 71-year-old woman in a nursing home, with indwelling urinary catheter, bedridden, presented with a purple urine collector bag. The purple urine bag syndrome is a rare condition associated with the metabolism of tryptophan by overgrowth of intestinal bacteria. The purple color is formed by a combination of indigo and indirubin produced as a result of phosphatase and sulfatase enzymatic activity of bacteria on indoxyl sulfate, under alkaline pH of the urine. We present the second case of this syndrome reported in Colombia detailing the management of this rare syndrome associated with urinary tract infection. Several conditions should be considered in the differential diagnose of diseases that cause discoloration of the urine. PMID:26230133

Several analytic models for predicting the drop deformation and breakup have been developed over the last three decades, but modeling drop breakup in the bag-type regime is less reported. In this Letter, a breakup model has been proposed to predict the drop deformation length and breakup time in the bag-type breakup regime in a more accurate manner. In the present model, the drop deformation which is approximately as the displacement of the centre of mass (c. m.) along the axis located at the centre of the drop, and the movement of c. m. is obtained by solving the pressure balance equation. The effects of the drop deformation on the drop external aerodynamic force are considered in this model. Drop breakup occurs when the deformation length reaches the maximum value and the maximum deformation length is a function of Weber number. The performance and applicability of the proposed breakup model are tested against the published experimental data.

Active galaxies are believed to consist of a compact nucleus, the standard model for which is a massive black hole or a cluster of black holes. A different paradigm is considered here, deriving from quark confinement theory in QCD. It is an 'astrophysical bag', modelled after the 'hadron bags' of particle physics which have already been studied in astrophysics as quark stars. Another interpretation of the cosmological constant in general relativity, and possibly a new quasar redshift formula, are introduced. As a highly-energetic object, this model may resolve the baryonic matter problem for fuelling AGN accretion processes which black hole paradigms cannot account for. Here, baryons, cosmic rays, and neutrinos are free.

This report compares the effects of radiation and heating on nylon bagout materials used at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). Recently, to simplify the processing of sand, slag, and crucible (SS and C), FB-Line has replaced the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags normally used to package cans of plutonium-bearing material with nylon bags. LDPE and PVC are not soluble in the nitric acid dissolver solution used in F-Canyon, so cans bagged using these materials had to be repackaged before they were added to the dissolver. Because nylon dissolves in nitric acid, cans bagged in nylon can be charged to the F-Canyon dissolvers without repackaging, thereby reducing handling requirements and personnel exposure. As part of a program to process RFETS SS and C at SRS, RFETS has also begun to use a nylon bagout material. The RFETS bag materials is made from a copolymer of nylon 6 and nylon 6.9, while the SRS material is made from a nylon 6 monomer. In addition, the SRS nylon has an anti-static agent added. The RFETS nylon is slightly softer than the SRS nylon, but does not appear to be as resistant to flex cracks initiated by contact with sharp corners of the inner can containing the SS and C.2 FB-Line Operations has asked for measurement of the effects of radiation and heating on these materials. Specifically, they have requested a comparison of the material properties of the plastics before and after irradiation, a measurement of the amount of outgassing when the plastics are heated, and a calculation of the amount of radiolytic gas generation. Testing was performed on samples taken from material that is currently used in FB-Line (color coded orange) and at RFETS. The requested tests are the same tests previously performed on the original and replacement nylon and LDPE bag materials.3,4,5. To evaluate the effect of irradiation on material properties, tensile stresses and elongations to break

Several plastic materials used in blood storage were evaluated for their ability to transmit ultraviolet B (UVB) light. A plastic bag manufactured from sheets of transparent Teflon efficiently (78-86%) transmitted UVB light and was employed in subsequent functional studies of lymphocytes and platelets exposed to UVB light while contained in these bags. In vitro experiments showed a UVB dose-dependent abrogation of lymphocyte responder and stimulator functions, with concurrent preservation of platelet aggregation responses. In a phase I pilot study, UVB-treated platelet concentrates were administered to four bone marrow transplant recipients. Adverse effects attributable to the transfusions were not observed, and patients showed clinically effective transfusion responses. No patient developed lymphocytotoxic HLA or platelet antibodies. These studies suggest that platelets can be effectively irradiated with UVB light in a closed system. However, numerous variables, including container material, volume and composition of contents, steady exposure versus agitation, and exact UV wavelength, must be considered.

A compact, lightweight electrolytic water sterilizer available through Ambassador Marketing, generates silver ions in concentrations of 50 to 100 parts per billion in water flow system. The silver ions serve as an effective bactericide/deodorizer. Tap water passes through filtering element of silver that has been chemically plated onto activated carbon. The silver inhibits bacterial growth and the activated carbon removes objectionable tastes and odors caused by addition of chlorine and other chemicals in municipal water supply. The three models available are a kitchen unit, a "Tourister" unit for portable use while traveling and a refrigerator unit that attaches to the ice cube water line. A filter will treat 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water.

An air bag has been designed and laboratory tested for use in existing police vehicles that will restrain a person if he or she becomes violent. The device will prevent self-injury and protect the vehicle and officer. The device does not pose a suffocation hazard and can be quickly and easily inflated or deflated by the officer from the front seat. The device is ready for field testing.

Electro membrane extraction-solid-liquid phase microextraction (EME-SLPME) was developed for the first time to determine phenolic contaminants in water. The extraction system consisted of a solid/liquid interface that permitted a three-phase microextraction approach involving an aqueous sample (donor phase): an organic solvent-sorbent within a membrane bag, and an organic solvent (extractant phase), operated in a direct immersion sampling system. The sorbent, reduced graphene oxide/polyvinyl alcohol, synthesized using graphene oxide and polyvinyl alcohol by dispersing the graphene oxide in polyvinyl alcohol and chemically reducing it in aqueous solution. The prepared sorbent was dispersed in 1-octanol and the solution was immobilized by sonication in the membrane bag wall pores which was in contact with the aqueous donor solution and organic extractant solvent (1-octanol) in the main bag itself. The analytes were transported by application of an electrical potential difference of 100V across the sorbent/solvent phase from the aqueous sample into the organic extractant phase in the membrane bag. After extraction and derivatization, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the derivatized analytes. This proposed EME-LSPME procedure provided high extraction efficiency with relative recoveries up to 99.6%. A linearity range of between 0.05 and 100μgL(-1) with corresponding coefficients of determination (r(2)) of between 0.987 and 0.996 were obtained. The limits of detection were in the range of between 0.003 and 0.053μgL(-1). This proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of phenolic contaminants from water sample. PMID:26530143

The choice of the right product for the right patients is fundamental in the adequate care of incontinent patients: therefore, it is important that nurses and healthcare professionals are aware of all the products that are available and that these products meet the required standards. The Simpla Plus leg bag, manufactured by Coloplast, is an example of one such product which has been officially approved by the National Customer Group for inclusion in the NHS purchasing and supply contract. PMID:12743481

A partial-wave helicity-state analysis of elastic nucleon-nucleon scattering is carried out in momentum space. Its basis is a one- and two-boson exchange amplitude from a bag-model quark interchange mechanism. The resulting phase shifts and bound-state parameters of the deuteron are compared with other meson theoretic potentials and data up to laboratory energies of approx.350 MeV.

Using the volume coupling version of the cloudy bag model, the quark-meson coupling model is extended to study the role of pion field and the properties of nuclear matter. The extended model includes the effect of gluon exchange as well as the pion-cloud effect, and provides a good description of the nuclear matter properties. The relationship between the extended model and the EFT approach to nuclear matter is also discussed.

As part of a major testing program now underway at the Department of Energy`s (DOE) Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (MMES), a full-scale air bag test was conducted in Building 9207. The test program, supported and managed by the Center for Natural Phenomena Engineering (CNPE), is intended to determine the stiffness and strength of unreinforced hollow clay tile walls (HCTVS) in order to more accurately analyze and predict the response of buildings containing these type of walls, especially when subjected to seismic and high wind loadings. The air bag test was a very large undertaking that started more than a year before the test was actually performed. Preparation for the test included the following activities: (1) preparation of the wall and the adjacent building areas; (2) design and field fabrication of test supporting structures; (3) procurement of equipment and instrumentation; (4) development of supporting test procedures and checklists; (5) installation of over seventy linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) and strain gages; (6) development of computer programs for use in the data acquisition systems; (7) extensive review into the existing engineering literature; (8) discussions with researchers with prior experience performing air bag tests; (9) coordination with the building operators; (10) plant safety reviews; and (11) dry runs of the test itself.

Polyethylene bags, though not recommended, are sometimes used in some countries as improvised packaging for items sent to be analysed for the presence of volatile organic compounds, namely ignitable liquids residues. Sometimes items made of polyethylene constitute the samples themselves. It is well known what kind of volatile organic compounds are produced as a result of polyethylene thermal decomposition, but there is a lack of information relating to if some volatile compounds are present in unheated/unburned items made of polyethylene in detectable amounts and, if so, what those compounds are. The aim of this presented research was to answer these questions. 28 different bags made of polyethylene, representing 9 brands, were purchased in local shops and analysed according to the procedure routinely used for fire debris. The results proved that in almost all bags a distinctive mixture of compounds is present, comprising of n-alkanes and n-alkenes with an even number of carbon atoms in their molecules. Some other compounds (e.g., limonene, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane) are also often present, but the presence of even n-alkanes and n-alkenes constitutes the most characteristic feature. PMID:27458996

A non-autoclave vacuum bag process using atmospheric pressure alone that eliminates the need for external pressure normally supplied by an autoclave or a press is an attractive method for composite fabrication. This type of process does not require large capital expenditures for tooling and processing equipment. In the molding cycle (temperature/pressure profile) for a given composite system, the vacuum application point has to be carefully selected to achieve the final consolidated laminate net shape and resin content without excessive resin squeeze-out. The traditional single-vacuum- bag (SVB) process is best suited for molding epoxy matrix based composites because of their superior flow and the absence of reaction by-products or other volatiles. Other classes of materials, such as polyimides and phenolics, generate water during cure. In addition, these materials are commonly synthesized as oligomers using solvents to facilitate processability. Volatiles (solvents and reaction byproducts) management therefore becomes a critical issue. SVB molding, without additional pressure, normally fails to yield void-free quality composites for these classes of resin systems. A double-vacuum- bag (DVB) process for volatile management was envisioned, designed and built at the NASA Langley Research Center. This experimental DVB process affords superior volatiles management compared to the traditional SVB process. Void-free composites are consistently fabricated as measured by C-scan and optical photomicroscopy for high performance polyimide and phenolic resins.

BCL-2 Associated athanogene 1 (BAG-1) and Xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) are involved in the nucleotide excision repair pathway and DNA repair. We aimed to investigate whether polymorphisms in BAG-1 and XPD have effects on chemotherapy sensitivity and survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with vinorelbine combined cisplatin (NP) regimen. A total of 142 patients with diagnosed advanced NSCLC were recruited in the current study. NP regimen was applied for all eligible patients. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for BAG-1 (codon 324) and XPD (codons 312 and 751) genotyping. The treatment response was evaluated according to the RECIST guidelines. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were record as median and end point, respectively. As for BAG-1 codon 324, the chemotherapy sensitivity in NSCLC patients with CT genotype was 0.383 times of those with CC genotype (P BAG-1, Asp/Asp of XPD codon 312, and Lys/Lys of XPD codon 751 produced a higher efficacy of NP chemotherapy compared to those carrying mutation genotypes (all P BAG-1 codon 324, Lys/Lys genotype of XPD codon 751, and Asp/Asp genotype of XPD codon 312 and patients carrying BAG-1 codon 324 C/T genotype, XPD codon751 Lys/Gln genotype, and XPD codon312 Asp/Asn genotype (P BAG-1 is the protective factor for OS and PFS, and clinical stages is the risk factor for OS and PFS. In conclusion, our research

Pulse-jet fabric filters rely on the filtration of dirty flue gas by the outside surface of the bags, which are then cleaned by a shock wave from an air pulse entering each bag from the top. The shock wave travels down each bag, flexing the bag and dislodging dustcake as it travels the length of the bag downward and then upward. A venturi may or may not be used to enhance the pulse, and cleaning may be on-line or off-line. This study provides a convenient and versatile information base about pulse-jet fabric filters on coal-fired boilers. Features include an overview of the pulse-jet concept, a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of pulse-jet cleaning, a survey of vendors and design and hardware features of pulse-jet installations, discussion of these design and hardware characteristics for several vendors, case histories of a wide variety of installations as examples, and a list of pertinent references. The most important part of the study is an exhaustive table of pulse-jet installations and their features, sorted several different ways for accessibility. Predominant features of the installations in the list are analyzed and presented in graphic form.

A comparison, in terms of image quality and glandular breast dose, was carried out between two similar digital mammography systems using amorphous selenium flat panel detectors. The two digital mammography systems currently available from Lorad-Hologic were compared. The original system utilises Mo/Mo and Mo/Rh as target/filter combinations, while the new system uses W/Rh and W/Ag. Images of multiple mammography phantoms with simulated compressed breast thicknesses of 4 cm, 5 cm and 6 cm and various glandular tissue equivalency were acquired under different spectral conditions. The contrast of five details, corresponding to five glandular compositions, was calculated and the ratio of the square of the contrast-to-noise ratio to the average glandular dose was used as a figure-of-merit (FOM) to compare results. For each phantom thickness and target/filter combination, there is an optimum voltage that maximises the FOM. Results show that the W/Rh combination is the best choice for all the detection tasks studied, but for thicknesses greater than 6 cm the W/Ag combination would probably be the best choice. In addition, the new system with W filter presents a better optimisation of the automatic exposure control in comparison with the original system with Mo filter. PMID:20019173

The assessment of intracranial aneurysms is increasingly performed using three-dimensional cone-beam rotational angiography (3D CBRA). To reduce the dose to the patient during 3D CBRA procedures, filtered region-of-interest imaging (FROI) is presented in literature to be an effective technique as the dose in regions of low interest is reduced, while high image quality is preserved in the ROI. The purpose of this study was to quantify the benefit of FROI imaging during a typical 3D CBRA procedure in a patient's head region. A cone-beam rotational angiography unit (Infinix) was modeled in GMctdospp, an EGSnrc-based Monte Carlo software, which calculates patient dose distributions in rotational computed tomography. Kodak Lanex, a gadolinium compound, was chosen to be the ROI filter material. The adult female ICRP reference phantom was integrated in GMctdospp to calculate organ and effective doses in simulations of FROI-CBRA examinations. During the Monte Carlo simulations, different parameters as the ROI filter thickness, the ROI opening size, the tube voltage, and the isocenter position were varied. The results showed that the reduction in dose clearly depends on these parameters. Comparing the reduction in organ dose in standard 3D CBRA and FROI-CBRA, a maximum reduction of about 60%-80% could be achieved with a small sized ROI filter and about 40%-70% of the dose could be saved using a ROI filter with a large opening. Further we could show that dose reduction strongly depends on filter thickness, the location of the organ in the radiated area, and the position of the isocenter. As a consequence, dose reduction partially differs from theoretically calculated values by a factor up to 1.6. The effective dose could be reduced to a minimum of about 40%. Due to the fact that standard 3D CBRA is only used for the assessment of aneurysms at present and, thus, most of the patient dose originates from the aneurysm treatment (with 2D techniques) itself, the dose reduction

The deformation and breakup of surfactant-laden drops is a common phenomenon in nature and numerous practical applications. We investigate influence of surfactant on the drop bag breakup in a continuous air jet stream. The airflow would induce the advection diffusion of surfactant between interface and bulk of drop. Experiments indicate that the convective motions of deforming drop would induce the non-equilibrium distribution of surfactant, which leads to the change of surface tension. When the surfactant concentration is smaller than critical micelle concentration (CMC), with the increase of surface area of drop, the surface tension of liquid-air interface and the critical Weber number will increase. When the surfactant concentration is bigger than CMC, the micelle can be considered as the source term, which can supply the monomers. So in the presence of surfactant, there would be the significant nonlinear variation on the critical Weber number of bag breakup. We build the dynamic non-monotonic relationship between concentrations of surfactant and critical Weber number theoretically. In the range of parameters studied, the experimental results are consistent with the model estimates.

Filters were formed from ceramic fibers, organic fibers, and a ceramic bond phase using a papermaking technique. The distribution of particulate ceramic bond phase was determined using a model silicon carbide system. As the ceramic fiber increased in length and diameter the distance between particles decreased. The calculated number of particles per area showed good agreement with the observed value. After firing, the papers were characterized using a biaxial load test. The strength of papers was proportional to the amount of bond phase included in the paper. All samples exhibited strain-tolerant behavior.

The biological filter capable of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was constructed for aquatic animal experiments in the International Space Station (ISS). The biological filter will be used to remove harmful ammonia excreted from aquatic animals in a closed water circulation system (Aquatic Habitat). The biological filter is a cylindrical tank packed with porous glass beads for nitrification and dual plastic bags for denitrification. The porous beads are supporting media for Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi. The N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells on the porous beads, oxidize the excreted ammonia to nitrate via nitrite. On the other hand, the dual bag is composed of an outer non-woven fabric bag and an inner non-porous polyethylene film bag. The outer bag is supporting media for Paracoccus pantotrophus. The inner bag, in which 99.5% ethanol is packed, releases the ethanol slowly, since ethanol can permeate through the non-porous polyethylene film. The P. pantotrophus cells on the outer bag reduce the produced nitrate to nitrogen gas by using the released ethanol as an electron donor for denitrification. The biological filter constructed in this study consequently removed the ammonia without accumulating nitrate. Most of the excess ethanol was consumed and did not affect the nitrification activity of the N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells severely. In accordance with the aquatic animal experiments in the ISS, small freshwater fish had been bred in the closed water circulation system equipped with the biological filter for 90 days. Ammonia concentration daily excreted from fish is assumed to be 1.7 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Under such conditions, the harmful ammonia and nitrite concentrations were kept below 0.1 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Nitrate and total organic carbon concentrations in the recirculation water were kept below 5 mg-N/L and 3 mg-C/L, respectively. All breeding fish were alive and ate

The biological filter capable of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was constructed for aquatic animal experiments in the International Space Station (ISS). The biological filter will be used to remove harmful ammonia excreted from aquatic animals in a closed water circulation system (Aquatic Habitat). The biological filter is a cylindrical tank packed with porous glass beads for nitrification and dual plastic bags for denitrification. The porous beads are supporting media for Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi. The N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells on the porous beads, oxidize the excreted ammonia to nitrate via nitrite. On the other hand, the dual bag is composed of an outer non-woven fabric bag and an inner non-porous polyethylene film bag. The outer bag is supporting media for Paracoccus pantotrophus. The inner bag, in which 99.5% ethanol is packed, releases the ethanol slowly, since ethanol can permeate through the non-porous polyethylene film. The P. pantotrophus cells on the outer bag reduce the produced nitrate to nitrogen gas by using the released ethanol as an electron donor for denitrification. The biological filter constructed in this study consequently removed the ammonia without accumulating nitrate. Most of the excess ethanol was consumed and did not affect the nitrification activity of the N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells severely. In accordance with the aquatic animal experiments in the ISS, small freshwater fish had been bred in the closed water circulation system equipped with the biological filter for 90 days. Ammonia concentration daily excreted from fish is assumed to be 1.7 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Under such conditions, the harmful ammonia and nitrite concentrations were kept below 0.1 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Nitrate and total organic carbon concentrations in the recirculation water were kept below 5 mg-N/L and 3 mg-C/L, respectively. All breeding fish were alive and ate

Mineral CO2 sequestration is a promising process for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. In this paper, alkaline calcium-rich dust particles collected from bagfilters of electric arc furnaces (EAF) for steel making were utilized as a viable raw material for mineral CO2 sequestration. The dust particles were pre-treated through hydration, drying and screening. The pre-treated particles were then subjected to direct gas-solid carbonation reaction in a fluidized-bed reactor. The carbonated products were characterized to determine the overall sequestration capacity and the mineralogical structures. Leaching tests were also performed to measure the extracted minerals from the carbonated dust and evaluate the carbonation process on dust stabilization. The experimental results indicated that CO2 could be sequestered using the pre-treated bag house dust. The maximum sequestration of CO2 was 0.657 kg/kg of dust, based on the total calcium content. The highest degree of carbonation achieved was 42.5% and the carbonation efficiency was 69% at room temperature. PMID:25846002

Air bag safety systems have significantly reduced the number of occupant injuries from road traffic accidents (RTA). However air bag deployment is also associated with unavoidable risks. We report the acoustic trauma incurred by a young female driver who was a heavy smoker as a consequence of air-bag deployment in a low speed RTA and the sparing of her child seated in the rear. PMID:12625890

Dispersion and filtering characteristics of doubly sinusoidal periodic (DSP) medium is investigated. Based on its feature different from singly sinusoidal periodic medium, a novel dual-band filter model is realized and measured. The results show that even a single unit cell of DSP medium can provide rather good filtering performance. And the filter is of perfect compatibility with regular waveguide and substrate integrated waveguide technology.

Background: Intravenous or intracoronary adenosine is used in the cardiac catherization lab to achieve maximal coronary blood flow and determine fractional flow reserve. Objective: To determine the stability of adenosine 10 and 50 µg/mL in either 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection in polyolefin infusion bags stored at 2 temperatures, refrigeration (2°C-8°C) or controlled room temperature (20°C-25°C). Methods: Adenosine 10 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL solutions were prepared in 50 mL polyolefin infusion bags containing 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection and stored at controlled room temperature or under refrigeration. Each combination of concentration, diluent, and storage was prepared in triplicate. Samples were assayed using stability-indicating, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography immediately at time 0 and at 24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days, and 14 days. Stability was defined as retaining 90% to 110% of the initial adenosine concentration. The samples were also visually inspected against a light background for clarity, color, and the presence of particulate matter. Results: After 14 days, all samples retained 99% to 101% of the initial adenosine concentration. No considerable change in pH or visual appearance was noted. The stability data indicated no significant loss of drug due to chemical degradation or physical interactions during storage. Conclusion: Adenosine solutions of 10 and 50 µg/mL were stable for at least 14 days in 50 mL polyolefin infusion bags of 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection stored at controlled room temperature and refrigerated conditions. PMID:24421510

Acetylcholine and the archetypal cholinergic agonist, nicotine, are typically associated with the opening of ionotropic receptors. In the bag cell neurons, which govern the reproductive behavior of the marine snail, Aplysia californica, there are two cholinergic responses: a relatively large acetylcholine-induced current and a relatively small nicotine-induced current. Both currents are readily apparent at resting membrane potential and result from the opening of distinct ionotropic receptors. We now report a separate current response elicited by applying nicotine to cultured bag cell neurons under whole cell voltage-clamp. This current was ostensibly inward, best resolved at depolarized voltages, presented a noncooperative dose-response with a half-maximal concentration near 1.5 mM, and associated with a decrease in membrane conductance. The unique nicotine-evoked response was not altered by intracellular perfusion with the G protein blocker GDPβS or exposure to classical nicotinic antagonists but was occluded by replacing intracellular K(+) with Cs(+) Consistent with an underlying mechanism of direct inhibition of one or more K(+) channels, nicotine was found to rapidly reduce the fast-inactivating A-type K(+) current as well as both components of the delayed-rectifier K(+) current. Finally, nicotine increased bag cell neuron excitability, which manifested as reduction in spike threshold, greater action potential height and width, and markedly more spiking to continuous depolarizing current injection. In contrast to conventional transient activation of nicotinic ionotropic receptors, block of K(+) channels could represent a nonstandard means for nicotine to profoundly alter the electrical properties of neurons over prolonged periods of time. PMID:26864763

The persistence of marine debris such as discarded polymer bags has become globally an increasing hazard to marine life. To date, over 177 marine species have been recorded to ingest man-made polymers that cause life-threatening complications such as gut impaction and perforation. This study set out to test the decay characteristics of three common types of shopping bag polymers in sea turtle gastrointestinal fluids (GIF): standard and degradable plastic, and biodegradable. Fluids were obtained from the stomachs, small intestines and large intestines of a freshly dead Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and a Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). Controls were carried out with salt and freshwater. The degradation rate was measured over 49 days, based on mass loss. Degradation rates of the standard and the degradable plastic bags after 49 days across all treatments and controls were negligible. The biodegradable bags showed mass losses between 3 and 9%. This was a much slower rate than reported by the manufacturers in an industrial composting situation (100% in 49 days). The GIF of the herbivorous Green turtle showed an increased capacity to break down the biodegradable polymer relative to the carnivorous Loggerhead, but at a much lower rate than digestion of natural vegetative matter. While the breakdown rate of biodegradable polymers in the intestinal fluids of sea turtles is greater than standard and degradable plastics, it is proposed that this is not rapid enough to prevent morbidity. Further study is recommended to investigate the speed at which biodegradable polymers decompose outside of industrial composting situations, and their durability in marine and freshwater systems. PMID:22209368

In this work we present a novel thermal bonding method for thermoplastic microfluidic devices. This simple method employs a modified vacuum bagging technique, a concept borrowed from the aerospace industry, to produce conventional thick substrate microfluidic devices, as well as multi-layer film devices. The bonds produced using this method are superior to those obtained using conventional thermal bonding methods, including thermal lamination, and are capable of sustaining burst pressures in excess of 550 kPa. To illustrate the utility of this method, thick substrate devices were produced, as well as a six-layer film device that incorporated several complex features. PMID:25329244

Six models for determining air temperatures for thermal comfort of people using sleeping bags were reviewed. These models were based on distinctive metabolic rates and mean skin temperatures. All model predictions of air temperatures are low when the insulation values of the sleeping bag are high. Nevertheless, prediction variations are greatest for the sleeping bags with high insulation values, and there is a high risk of hypothermia if an inappropriate sleeping bag is chosen for the intended conditions of use. There is, therefore, a pressing need to validate the models by wear trial and determine which one best reflects ordinary consumer needs.

The primary goal is to demonstrate the performance of a new ceramic filter in removing particulate matter from hot gas streams produced in advanced coal conversion processes. The specific objectives are threefold: (1) Development of full size ceramic filters suitable for hot gas filtration; (2) Demonstration of ceramic filters in long term (ca. 1000 hrs) field trials; and (3) Development of full-scale hot gas filter system designs and costs. To date, field tests of the ceramic filter for particulate removal have been conducted at seven sites on a variety of gas streams and under a variety of test conditions. In general, the following performance characteristics have been observed: 1. Filtration face velocity (equivalent to an ``air to cloth ratio``) for flue gas tests is comparable to that for pulse jet bags operating at the same pressure drop. In hot gas tests, flow-pressure drop characteristics have been observed to be comparable to those for other ceramic filters. 2. Complete regeneration by a simple backpulse technique is achieved; i.e., no increase in clean filter resistance over repetitive cycles is observed. 3. No plugging of the filter passageways by badly caking particulates is observed. 4. Essentially complete particulate removal, including submicron particulate matter, is achieved.

The primary goal is to demonstrate the performance of a new ceramic filter in removing particulate matter from hot gas streams produced in advanced coal conversion processes. The specific objectives are threefold: (1) Development of full size ceramic filters suitable for hot gas filtration; (2) Demonstration of ceramic filters in long term (ca. 1000 hrs) field trials; and (3) Development of full-scale hot gas filter system designs and costs. To date, field tests of the ceramic filter for particulate removal have been conducted at seven sites on a variety of gas streams and under a variety of test conditions. In general, the following performance characteristics have been observed: 1. Filtration face velocity (equivalent to an air to cloth ratio'') for flue gas tests is comparable to that for pulse jet bags operating at the same pressure drop. In hot gas tests, flow-pressure drop characteristics have been observed to be comparable to those for other ceramic filters. 2. Complete regeneration by a simple backpulse technique is achieved; i.e., no increase in clean filter resistance over repetitive cycles is observed. 3. No plugging of the filter passageways by badly caking particulates is observed. 4. Essentially complete particulate removal, including submicron particulate matter, is achieved.

Great River Energy (GRE), formerly United Power Association, operates a 1,000 TPD refuse-derived fuel (RDF) fired waste-to energy facility in Elk River, Minnesota. The plant produces approximately 32 MW (gross) from three boiler units with traveling stoker grates. Flue gas from the boilers enter a dry lime scrubber prior to an eight module, reverse air baghouse. This paper presents emissions, pressure drop, and cleaning energy data before and after installation of the expanded PTFE (ePTFE) membrane filterbags. After 24 months of operation, the average concentration of total particulate matter (dry + organic wet catch) with the original conventional fiberglass filterbags was 0.007 gr/dscf {at} 7% O{sub 2}. The average concentration of total particulate matter (dry + organic wet catch) with ePTFE membrane filterbags was reduced to 0.004 gr/dscf {at} 7% O{sub 2}. To keep from exceeding 10--12 inches w.g. of pressure drop across the baghouse at full load after 24 months of service, two reverse air fans and sonic horns in each module were used to clean the original fiberglass bags. The frequency of cleaning was continuous with 100 cleaning cycles per 24 hours. With the ePTFE membrane filterbags, a baghouse pressure drop of 7 inches w.g. was maintained after 24 months of operation at full load. In order to clean the new bags, sonic horns were used. However, one of the two reverse air fans was turned off. The cleaning frequency was reduced to 15 cycles per 24 hours. Other benefits are also discussed including energy cost savings due to reduced power consumption and increased power generation capacity.

Abstract Purpose: Phenylephrine hydrochloride (HCl) is commonly used to maintain adequate blood pressure during shock and shocklike states. Phenylephrine is prepared in concentrated stock vials that require further dilution prior to administration. This study evaluated the physical and chemical stability of phenylephrine in extemporaneously prepared polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags. Methods: Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg/mL solution was diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride for injection to final concentrations of 200 µg/mL and 400 µg/mL and stored at room temperature (23°C-25°C) exposed to fluorescent light. Stability of phenylephrine HCl was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 30, 45, and 60. Results: Phenylephrine HCl 200 and 400 µg/mL solutions in PVC bags were physically stable during the entire 60-day study period. Phenylephrine HCl retained > 95% of the original concentration. Conclusion: Phenylephrine HCl diluted to 200 or 400 µg/mL with 0.9% sodium chloride for injection is both physically and chemically stable for a period of 60 days with ≤5% degradation when stored at room temperature and exposed to fluorescent lighting. PMID:24958958

New active dry powder inhaler systems were developed and tested to efficiently aerosolize a carrier-free formulation. To assess inhaler performance, a challenging case study of aerosol lung delivery during high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy was selected. The active delivery system consisted of a ventilation bag for actuating the device, the DPI containing a flow control orifice and 3D rod array, and streamlined nasal cannula with separate inlets for the aerosol and HFNC therapy gas. In vitro experiments were conducted to assess deposition in the device, emitted dose (ED) from the nasal cannula, and powder deaggregation. The best performing systems achieved EDs of 70–80% with fine particle fractions <5 μm of 65–85% and mass median aerodynamic diameters of 1.5 μm, which were target conditions for controlled condensational growth aerosol delivery. Decreasing the size of the flow control orifice from 3.6 to 2.3 mm reduced the flow rate through the system with manual bag actuations from an average of 35 to 15 LPM, while improving ED and aerosolization performance. The new devices can be applied to improve aerosol delivery during mechanical ventilation, nose-to-lung aerosol administration, and to assist patients that cannot reproducibly use passive DPIs. PMID:24508552

Food shopping is an important aspect of maintaining independence and social interaction in older age. Carriage of shopping bags alters the body's weight distribution which, depending on load distribution, could potentially increase instability during standing and walking. The study examined the effect of carrying UK style shopping bags on static postural stability and gait in healthy older and young females. Nine older (71.0±6.0 years) and 10 young (26.7±5.2 years) females were assessed in five conditions carrying no bags, one 1.5kg bag in each hand, one 3kg bag in each hand, one 1.5kg bag in preferred hand, one 3kg bag in preferred hand. Antero-posterior and medio-lateral displacement, and 95% ellipse area from a 30s quiet standing were used for postural stability assessment. Stride length and its coefficient of variation, total double support time, step asymmetry and gait stability ratio were calculated from 1min treadmill walking at self-selected speed for gait assessment. Carrying shopping bags did not negatively affect postural stability or gait variables, in either group. Further, in older individuals, a decrease in sway velocity was found when holding bags during the postural stability assessment (p<0.05), suggesting that carriage of bags, irrespective of the load distribution, may have a stabilising effect during quiet standing. These results should help to alleviate concerns regarding safety of carrying shopping bags and help encourage shopping, both as a social and as a physical activity. PMID:27131182

EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory, through its Environmental Technology Verification Program, evaluated the performance of a bag house filtration product for use controlling PM2.5. The product was BWF America, Inc., filter fabric Grade 700 Polyester Felt. All tes...

Monitoring stationary source emissions for heavy metals generally requires the use of quartz filters to collect samples because of the high temperature and high moisture sampling environment. The documentary standard method sample preparation technique in Europe, EN 14385, uses digestion in hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid (HF/HNO3) followed by complexing with boric acid (H3BO3) prior to analysis. However, the use of this method presents a number of problems, including significant instrumental drift during analysis caused by the matrix components, often leading to instrument breakdown and downtime for repairs, as well as posing significant health and safety risks. The aim of this work was to develop an alternative sample preparation technique for emissions samples on quartz filters. The alternative techniques considered were: (i) acid digestion in a fluoroboric acid (HBF4) and HNO3 mixture and (ii) acid extraction in an aqua regia (AR) mixture (HCl and HNO3). Assessment of the effectiveness of these options included determination of interferences and signal drift, as well as validating the different methods by measurement of matrix certified reference materials (CRMs), and comparing the results obtained from real test samples and sample blanks to determine limits of detection. The results showed that the HBF4/HNO3 mixture provides the most viable alternative to the documentary standard preparation technique. PMID:25407906

Monitoring stationary source emissions for heavy metals generally requires the use of quartz filters to collect samples because of the high temperature and high moisture sampling environment. The documentary standard method sample preparation technique in Europe, EN 14385, uses digestion in hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid (HF/HNO3) followed by complexing with boric acid (H3BO3) prior to analysis. However, the use of this method presents a number of problems, including significant instrumental drift during analysis caused by the matrix components, often leading to instrument breakdown and downtime for repairs, as well as posing significant health and safety risks. The aim of this work was to develop an alternative sample preparation technique for emissions samples on quartz filters. The alternative techniques considered were: (i) acid digestion in a fluoroboric acid (HBF4) and HNO3 mixture and (ii) acid extraction in an aqua regia (AR) mixture (HCl and HNO3). Assessment of the effectiveness of these options included determination of interferences and signal drift, as well as validating the different methods by measurement of matrix certified reference materials (CRMs), and comparing the results obtained from real test samples and sample blanks to determine limits of detection. The results showed that the HBF4/HNO3 mixture provides the most viable alternative to the documentary standard preparation technique. PMID:25407906

In oral cancers, cytoplasmic BAG-1 overexpression is a marker of poor prognosis. BAG-1 regulates cellular growth, differentiation and survival through interactions with diverse proteins, including the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a key regulator of keratinocyte growth and differentiation. BAG-1 is expressed ubiquitously in human cells as three major isoforms of 50 kDa (BAG-1L), 46 kDa (BAG-1M) and 36 kDa (BAG-1S) from a single mRNA. In oral keratinocytes BAG-1L, but not BAG-1M and BAG-1S, enhanced VDR transactivation in response to 1{alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3.} BAG-1L was nucleoplasmic and nucleolar, whereas BAG-1S and BAG-1M were cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic in localisation. Having identified the nucleolar localisation sequence in BAG-1L, we showed that mutation of this sequence did not prevent BAG-1L from potentiating VDR activity. BAG-1L also potentiated transactivation of known vitamin-D-responsive gene promoters, osteocalcin and 24-hydroxylase, and enhanced VDR-dependent transcription and protein expression of the keratinocyte differentiation marker, involucrin. These results demonstrate endogenous gene regulation by BAG-1L by potentiating nuclear hormone receptor function and suggest a role for BAG-1L in 24-hydroxylase regulation of vitamin D metabolism and the cellular response of oral keratinocytes to 1{alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3}. By contrast to the cytoplasmic BAG-1 isoforms, BAG-1L may act to suppress tumorigenesis.

Context. Thanks to the advent of the space-based missions CoRoT and NASA's Kepler, the asteroseismology of solar-like oscillations is now at the base of our understanding about stellar physics. The Kepler spacecraft, especially, is releasing excellent photometric observations of more than three years length in high duty cycle, which contain a large amount of information that has not yet been investigated. Aims: To exploit the full potential of Kepler light curves, sophisticated and robust analysis tools are now required more than ever. Characterizing single stars with an unprecedented level of accuracy and subsequently analyzing stellar populations in detail are fundamental to further constrain stellar structure and evolutionary models. Methods: We developed a new code, termed Diamonds, for Bayesian parameter estimation and model comparison by means of the nested sampling Monte Carlo (NSMC) algorithm, an efficient and powerful method very suitable for high-dimensional and multi-modal problems. A detailed description of the features implemented in the code is given with a focus on the novelties and differences with respect to other existing methods based on NSMC. Diamonds is then tested on the bright F8 V star KIC 9139163, a challenging target for peak-bagging analysis due to its large number of oscillation peaks observed, which are coupled to the blending that occurs between ℓ = 2,0 peaks, and the strong stellar background signal. We further strain the performance of the approach by adopting a 1147.5 days-long Kepler light curve, accounting for more than 840 000 data bins in the power spectrum of the star. Results: The Diamonds code is able to provide robust results for the peak-bagging analysis of KIC 9139163, while preserving a considerable computational efficiency for identifying the solution at the same time. We test the detection of different astrophysical backgrounds in the star and provide a criterion based on the Bayesian evidence for assessing the peak

Calcium signaling plays an essential role in plant cell physiology, and chaperone-mediated protein folding directly regulates plant programmed cell death. The Arabidopsis thaliana protein AtBAG5 (Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5) is unique in that it contains both a BAG domain capable of binding Hsc70 (Heat shock cognate protein 70) and a characteristic IQ motif that is specific for Ca(2+)-free CaM (Calmodulin) binding and hence acts as a hub linking calcium signaling and the chaperone system. Here, we determined crystal structures of AtBAG5 alone and in complex with Ca(2+)-free CaM. Structural and biochemical studies revealed that Ca(2+)-free CaM and Hsc70 bind AtBAG5 independently, whereas Ca(2+)-saturated CaM and Hsc70 bind AtBAG5 with negative cooperativity. Further in vivo studies confirmed that AtBAG5 localizes to mitochondria and that its overexpression leads to leaf senescence symptoms including decreased chlorophyll retention and massive ROS production in dark-induced plants. Mutants interfering the CaM/AtBAG5/Hsc70 complex formation leads to different phenotype of leaf senescence. Collectively, we propose that the CaM/AtBAG5/Hsc70 signaling complex plays an important role in regulating plant senescence. PMID:27539741

... publishing the notice in the Federal Register of December 3, 2009 (74 FR 63410). The hearing was held in... COMMISSION Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam Determinations On the basis... imports from Vietnam of polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs), provided for in subheading 3923.21.00...

We study the Casimir contribution to the bag energy coming from gluon field fluctuations, within the context of the stochastic vacuum model of pure QCD. After formulating the problem in terms of the generating functional of field strength cumulants, we argue that the resulting predictions about the Casimir energy are compatible with the phenomenologically required bag energy term.

Rasagiline, a novel monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor, has a mild to moderate effect in relieving Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms as well as unique neuroprotective effects. Previous studies demonstrated rasagiline protect neurons by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins. Our study aimed to study whether Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG)-family proteins, which were reported closely associated with neurodegenerative disease, were involved in the neuroprotective effect of rasagiline. We found that after the administration of 1-methy1-4-phenvl-1,2,3,6-tetrahvdropvridine (MPTP), BAG2 and BAG5 proteins were up-regulated in the substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons of PD mouse model. A further increase of BAG2 and BAG5 was detected after intragastric administration of rasagiline to post-MPTP lesioned mice. Thus, the current study proved the association of BAG family proteins with PD, and suggested the involvement and a positive role of BAG2, BAG5 in the neuroprotection of rasagiline. These preliminary results implicate a novel pathway for further study on neuroprotection of rasagiline. PMID:26770414

Tedlar bags have been evaluated as containers for gaseous benzene samples for use in EPA Method 111 - Determination of Benzene from Stationary Sources. When such bags were used for storage, benzene samples remained essentially unchanged when held at ambient temperatures for up to...

Whole air sampling using containers such as flexible bags or rigid canisters is commonly used to collect samples of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in air. The objective of this study was to compare the stability of polyester aluminum (PEA) and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF, brand name Tedlar®) bags for ...

Air samples containing sulfur compounds are often collected and stored in sample bags prior to analyses. The storage stability of six gaseous sulfur compounds (H2S, CH3SH, DMS, CS2, DMDS and SO2) was compared between two different bag materials (polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyester aluminum (PEA))...

..., 74 FR 48224 (September 22, 2009). On April 19, 2010, the petitioners withdrew their request for an... International Trade Administration Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Thailand: Rescission of Antidumping... order on polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand. The period of review is August 1, 2008,...

..., 75 FR 60076 (September 29, 2010). The preliminary results of this administrative review are currently... International Trade Administration Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand: Extension of Time Limit for... polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand for the period August 1, 2009, through July 31, 2010....

... Reviews and Requests for Revocations in Part, 76 FR 61076 (October 3, 2011). Based on a request for review... International Trade Administration Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand: Rescission of Antidumping... retail carrier bags from Thailand. The period of review is August 1, 2010, through July 31, 2011. As...

Bcl-2 associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) contains multiple protein-binding motifs to mediate potential interactions with chaperons and/or other proteins, which is possibly ascribed to the multifaceted functions assigned to BAG3. The current study demonstrated that BAG3 directly interacted with glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). BAG3 suppressed the PPP flux, de novo DNA synthesis and cell growth in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). The growth defect of HCCs with forced BAG3 expression can be rescued by enforced G6PD expression. However, BAG3 elevation did not cause a reduction in cellular NADPH concentrations, another main product of G6PD. In addition, supplement of nucleosides alone was sufficient to recover the growth defect mediated by BAG3 elevation. Collectively, the current study established a tumor suppressor-like function of BAG3 via direct interaction with G6PD in HCCs at the cellular level. PMID:26621836

... Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand: Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 76 FR... Bags From Thailand, 75 FR 48940 (August 12, 2010). These deposit requirements, when imposed, shall... August 1, 2009, through July 31, 2010. The notice did not include the names and margins of two...

Combining home-school literacy bags with preschool family literature circles provided a strong foundation for family involvement at home and school during this year-long Reading Partners project, and helped parents become essential partners in their children's literacy development. Using home-school literacy bags, children and parents learned…

Calcium signaling plays an essential role in plant cell physiology, and chaperone-mediated protein folding directly regulates plant programmed cell death. The Arabidopsis thaliana protein AtBAG5 (Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5) is unique in that it contains both a BAG domain capable of binding Hsc70 (Heat shock cognate protein 70) and a characteristic IQ motif that is specific for Ca2+-free CaM (Calmodulin) binding and hence acts as a hub linking calcium signaling and the chaperone system. Here, we determined crystal structures of AtBAG5 alone and in complex with Ca2+-free CaM. Structural and biochemical studies revealed that Ca2+-free CaM and Hsc70 bind AtBAG5 independently, whereas Ca2+-saturated CaM and Hsc70 bind AtBAG5 with negative cooperativity. Further in vivo studies confirmed that AtBAG5 localizes to mitochondria and that its overexpression leads to leaf senescence symptoms including decreased chlorophyll retention and massive ROS production in dark-induced plants. Mutants interfering the CaM/AtBAG5/Hsc70 complex formation leads to different phenotype of leaf senescence. Collectively, we propose that the CaM/AtBAG5/Hsc70 signaling complex plays an important role in regulating plant senescence. PMID:27539741

...PHMSA has been alerted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that counterfeit air bags have been sold as replacement parts to consumers and repair professionals. These counterfeit products may contain unapproved explosives and thus pose additional transportation risks when compared to air bags manufactured through legitimate means. Therefore, PHMSA is issuing this......

The objective of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde incorporated into apple, carrot, and hibiscus-based edible films against Salmonella Newport in bagged organic leafy greens. The leafy greens tested included organic Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, and mature and baby spinach. Each leafy green sample was washed, dip inoculated with S. Newport (10⁷ CFU/mL), and dried. Each sample was put into a Ziploc® bag. Edible films pieces were put into the Ziploc bag and mixed well. The bags were sealed and stored at 4 °C. Samples were taken at days 0, 3, and 7 for enumeration of survivors. On all leafy greens, 3% carvacrol films showed the best bactericidal effects against Salmonella. All 3 types of 3% carvacrol films reduced the Salmonella population by 5 log₁₀ CFU/g at day 0 and 1.5% carvacrol films reduced Salmonella by 1 to 4 log₁₀ CFU/g at day 7. The films with 3% cinnamaldehyde showed 0.5 to 3 log reductions on different leafy greens at day 7. The films with 0.5% and 1.5% cinnamaldehyde and 0.5% carvacrol also showed varied reductions on different types of leafy greens. Edible films were the most effective against Salmonella on Iceberg lettuce. This study demonstrates the potential of edible films incorporated with carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde to inactivate S. Newport on organic leafy greens. PMID:24460771

Normal apoptosis occurs continuously in the olfactory neuroepithelium of adult vertebrates, making it a useful model for studying neuronal apoptosis. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of the anti-apoptotic Bag-1 gene in olfactory neuronal cells confers a strong resistance to apoptosis. Conversely decreased levels of Bag-1 were found to precede a massive wave of olfactory neuronal apoptosis triggered by synaptic target ablation. We show that the decrease is brought about by ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the Bag-1 protein. The ring finger protein Siah-2 is a likely candidate for the ubiquitination reaction since Siah-2 mRNA accumulated in lesioned olfactory neuroepithelium and overexpression of Siah-2 stimulated Bag-1 ubiquitination and degradation in transient expression assays. These results together identify destabilization of Bag-1 as a necessary step in olfactory neuronal apoptosis. PMID:11257006

We show that the lepton bag model considered in our previous paper [10], generating the external gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the Kerr-Newman (KN) solution, is supersymmetric and represents a BPS-saturated soliton interpolating between the internal vacuum state and the external KN solution. We obtain Bogomolnyi equations for this phase transition and show that the Bogomolnyi bound determines all important features of this bag model, including its stable shape. In particular, for the stationary KN solution, the BPS bound provides stability of the ellipsoidal form of the bag and the formation of the ring-string structure at its border, while for the periodic electromagnetic excitations of the KN solution, the BPS bound controls the deformation of the surface of the bag, reproducing the known flexibility of bag models.

We show that the lepton bag model considered in our previous paper [10], generating the external gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the Kerr–Newman (KN) solution, is supersymmetric and represents a BPS-saturated soliton interpolating between the internal vacuum state and the external KN solution. We obtain Bogomolnyi equations for this phase transition and show that the Bogomolnyi bound determines all important features of this bag model, including its stable shape. In particular, for the stationary KN solution, the BPS bound provides stability of the ellipsoidal form of the bag and the formation of the ring–string structure at its border, while for the periodic electromagnetic excitations of the KN solution, the BPS bound controls the deformation of the surface of the bag, reproducing the known flexibility of bag models.

Since day one, retailers and consumers have favoured plastic carrier bags. However, owing to the numerous environmental disadvantages, lightweight plastic carrier bags have been drawing the attention of the European Union competent authorities. Therefore, many European Union member states have taken action so as to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags. Based on the existing legislation and voluntary initiatives for the reduction of lightweight plastic carrier bags, the challenges and achieved outcomes from the implemented policy options in the various European Union member states are discussed and commented regarding the forthcoming transposition of the 'Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags' into the European Union member states' national law. PMID:25827845

Passenger air bags experienced considerable design modification in the late 1990s, principally to mitigate risks to child passengers. This study utilized Data from the Partners for Child Passenger Safety study, a large-scale child-focused crash surveillance system, to examine the effect of vehicle type on the differential performance of first and second generation air bags on injuries to restrained children in frontal impact crashes. Our results show that the benefit of second-generation air bags was seen in passenger cars - those children exposed to second-generation air bags were half as likely to sustain a serious injury - and minivans. However, in SUVs the data suggest no reduction in injury risk with the new designs. This field data provides crucial real-world experience to the automotive industry as they work towards the next generation of air bag designs. PMID:12941218

Bioventing has emerged as one of the most cost-effective in situ technologies available to address petroleum light-hydrocarbon spills, one of the most common sources of soil pollution. However, the major drawback associated with this technology is the extended treatment time often required. The present study aimed to illustrate how an intended air-injection bioventing technology can be transformed into a soil vapour extraction effort when the air flow rates are pushed to a stripping mode, thus leading to the treatment of the off-gas resulting from volatilisation. As such, a combination of an air-injection bioventing system and a biotrickling filter was applied for the treatment of contaminated soil, the latter aiming at the treatment of the emissions resulting from the bioventing process. With a moisture content of 10%, soil contaminated with toluene at two different concentrations, namely 2 and 14 mg g soil(-1), were treated successfully using an air-injection bioventing system at a constant air flow rate of ca. 0.13 dm(3) min(-1), which led to the removal of ca. 99% toluene, after a period of ca. 5 days of treatment. A biotrickling filter was simultaneously used to treat the outlet gas emissions, which presented average removal efficiencies of ca. 86%. The proposed combination of biotechnologies proved to be an efficient solution for the decontamination process, when an excessive air flow rate was applied, reducing both the soil contamination and the outlet gas emissions, whilst being able to reduce the treatment time required by bioventing only. PMID:19501963

The research is focused on the development and commercialization of high efficiency, cost effective air pollution control system, which can replace in part air pollution control devices currently in use. In many industrial processes, hot exhaust gases are cooled down to recover heat and to remove air pollutants in exhaust gases. Conventional air pollution control devices such as bagfilters, E.P. and adsorption towers withstand operating temperatures up to 300 C. Also, reheating is sometimes necessary to meet temperature windows for S.C.R. Since Oxidation reactions of acid gases such as SO{sub 2}, and HCl with lime are enhanced at high temperatures, catalyst impregnated ceramic filters can be candidate for efficient and cost effective air pollution control devices. As shown on Fig. 1., catalytic ceramic filters remove particulates on exterior surface of filters and acid gases are oxidized to salts reacting with limes injected in upstream ducts. Oxidation reactions are enhanced in the cake formed on exterior of filters. Finally, injected reducing gas such as NH{sub 3} react with NOx to form N{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O interior of filters in particulate-free environment. Operation and maintenance technology is similar to conventional bagfilters except that systems are exposed to relatively high temperatures ranging 300-500 C.

The generation of hydrogen (by radiolysis) and of other potentially flammable gases in radioactive wastes which are in contact with hydrogenous materials is a source of concern, both from transportation and on-site storage considerations. Because very little experimental data on the generation and accumulation of hydrogen was available in actual waste materials, work was initiated to experimentally determine factors affecting the concentration of hydrogen in the waste containers, such as the hydrogen generation rate, (G-values) and the rate of loss of hydrogen through packaging and commercial filter-vents, including a new design suitable for plastic bags. This report deals only with the venting aspect of the problem. Hydrogen venting characteristics of two types of commercial carbon-composite filter-vents, and two types of PVC bag closures (heat-sealed and twist-and-tape) were measured. Techniques and equipment were developed to permit measurement of the hydrogen concentration in various layers of actual transuranic (TRU) waste packages, both with and without filter-vents. A test barrel was assembled containing known configuration and amounts of TRU wastes. Measurements of the hydrogen in the headspace verified a hydrogen release model developed by Benchmark Environmental Corporation. These data were used to calculate revised wattage Emits for TRU waste packages incorporating the new bagfilter-vent.

A phosphate-solubilizing bacterium ( Burkholderia cepacia isolate) encapsulated in maleic anhydride (MA) grafted onto poly(butylene succinate adipate) (PBSA) and then combined with starch as film bag material (PBSA-g-MA/starch) incubated in a saline solution required approximately 20 days to deplete the starch in the film bags. Thereafter, the cell concentration in the saline solution increased significantly because of the release of cells from the severely destroyed film bags and also their growth by use of depolymerized PBSA-g-MA fragments as a substrate. The incubation proceeded for 60 days, by which time the PBSA-g-MA/starch composite had suffered a >80% weight loss. For practical application, effectiveness of the above-mentioned film bags was demonstrated because it could improve the absorbability of a fertilizer for plants and promote the growth of plants. As a result, it can avoid the accumulation of the phosphate in excess fertilizer that lead to the phenomenon of poor soils. These results demonstrate that PBSA-g-MA/starch can be used to encapsulate cells of an indigenous phosphate-solubilizing bacterium ( B. cepacia isolate) to form a controlled release of bacteria-encapsulated film bag (BEFB). The B. cepacia isolate was able to degrade the film bags material, causing cell release. Biodegradability of the film bags depended upon the type of material used, because the PBSA film bags were also degraded but to a lesser degree. The addition of starch made the film bags more biodegradable. The decrease in intrinsic viscosity was also higher for the starch composite, suggesting a strong connection between the biodegradability and these characteristics. The results suggest that the release of fertilizer-promoted bacteria might be controllable via a suitable film bag material formulation. In addition, this work adopted live bacteria to promote the absorption of phosphate, which is superior to the phosphate used in the traditional way. PMID:20420423

Side air bags, a relatively new technology designed to protect the head and/or torso in side-impact collisions, are becoming increasingly common in automobiles. Their efficacy in preventing US driver deaths among cars struck on the near (driver's) side was examined using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System. Risk ratios for driver death per nearside collision during 1999-2001 were computed for head/torso and torso-only side air bags in cars from model years 1997-2002, relative to cars without side air bags. Confounding was addressed by adjusting nearside risk ratios for front- and rear-impact mortality, which is unaffected by side air bags. Risk ratios were 0.55 (95% confidence interval: 0.43, 0.71) for head/torso air bags and 0.89 (95% confidence interval: 0.79, 1.01) for torso-only air bags. Risk was reduced when cars with head/torso air bags were struck by cars/minivans (significant) or pickup trucks/sport utility vehicles (nonsignificant). Risk was reduced in two-vehicle collisions and among male drivers and drivers aged 16-64 years. Protective effects associated with torso-only air bags were observed in single-vehicle crashes and among male and 16- to 64-year-old drivers. Head/torso side air bags appear to be very effective in reducing nearside driver deaths, whereas torso-only air bags appear less protective. PMID:15003959

The Stark anomalous dispersion optical filter is a wide-frequency-tunable ultra-narrow-bandwidth optical filter. The first theoretical investigation of this filter matched to the wavelength of a doubled Nd:YAG laser is reported. The calculations show that such a filter may provide above 80 percent transmission, and a noise equivalent bandwidth of 3 GHz.

In past decades, many techniques have been used to improve face recognition performance. The most common and well-studied ways are to use the whole face image to build a subspace based on the reduction of dimensionality. Differing from methods above, we consider face recognition as an image classification problem. The face images of the same person are considered to fall into the same category. Each category and each face image could be both represented by a simple pyramid histogram. Spatial dense scale-invariant feature transform features and bag of features method are used to build categories and face representations. In an effort to make the method more efficient, a linear support vector machine solver, Pegasos, is used for the classification in the kernel space with additive kernels instead of nonlinear SVMs. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve very high recognition accuracy on the ORL, YALE, and FERET databases.

We consider the problem of categorizing video sequences of dynamic textures, i.e., nonrigid dynamical objects such as fire, water, steam, flags, etc. This problem is extremely challenging because the shape and appearance of a dynamic texture continuously change as a function of time. State-of-the-art dynamic texture categorization methods have been successful at classifying videos taken from the same viewpoint and scale by using a Linear Dynamical System (LDS) to model each video, and using distances or kernels in the space of LDSs to classify the videos. However, these methods perform poorly when the video sequences are taken under a different viewpoint or scale. In this paper, we propose a novel dynamic texture categorization framework that can handle such changes. We model each video sequence with a collection of LDSs, each one describing a small spatiotemporal patch extracted from the video. This Bag-of-Systems (BoS) representation is analogous to the Bag-of-Features (BoF) representation for object recognition, except that we use LDSs as feature descriptors. This choice poses several technical challenges in adopting the traditional BoF approach. Most notably, the space of LDSs is not euclidean; hence, novel methods for clustering LDSs and computing codewords of LDSs need to be developed. We propose a framework that makes use of nonlinear dimensionality reduction and clustering techniques combined with the Martin distance for LDSs to tackle these issues. Our experiments compare the proposed BoS approach to existing dynamic texture categorization methods and show that it can be used for recognizing dynamic textures in challenging scenarios which could not be handled by existing methods. PMID:23257470

Electrical transmission is a dynamically regulated form of communication and key to synchronizing neuronal activity. The bag cell neurons of Aplysia are a group of electrically coupled neuroendocrine cells that initiate ovulation by secreting egg-laying hormone during a prolonged period of synchronous firing called the afterdischarge. Accompanying the afterdischarge is an increase in intracellular Ca2+ and the activation of protein kinase C (PKC). We used whole cell recording from paired cultured bag cell neurons to demonstrate that electrical coupling is regulated by both Ca2+ and PKC. Elevating Ca2+ with a train of voltage steps, mimicking the onset of the afterdischarge, decreased junctional current for up to 30 min. Inhibition was most effective when Ca2+ entry occurred in both neurons. Depletion of Ca2+ from the mitochondria, but not the endoplasmic reticulum, also attenuated the electrical synapse. Buffering Ca2+ with high intracellular EGTA or inhibiting calmodulin kinase prevented uncoupling. Furthermore, activating PKC produced a small but clear decrease in junctional current, while triggering both Ca2+ influx and PKC inhibited the electrical synapse to a greater extent than Ca2+ alone. Finally, the amplitude and time course of the postsynaptic electrotonic response were attenuated after Ca2+ influx. A mathematical model of electrically connected neurons showed that excessive coupling reduced recruitment of the cells to fire, whereas less coupling led to spiking of essentially all neurons. Thus a decrease in electrical synapses could promote the afterdischarge by ensuring prompt recovery of electrotonic potentials or making the neurons more responsive to current spreading through the network. PMID:25411460

Using biometrics for subject verification can significantly improve security over that of approaches based on passwords and personal identification numbers, both of which people tend to lose or forget. In biometric verification the system tries to match an input biometric (such as a fingerprint, face image, or iris image) to a stored biometric template. Thus correlation filter techniques are attractive candidates for the matching precision needed in biometric verification. In particular, advanced correlation filters, such as synthetic discriminant function filters, can offer very good matching performance in the presence of variability in these biometric images (e.g., facial expressions, illumination changes, etc.). We investigate the performance of advanced correlation filters for face, fingerprint, and iris biometric verification. PMID:14735958

Using biometrics for subject verification can significantly improve security over that of approaches based on passwords and personal identification numbers, both of which people tend to lose or forget. In biometric verification the system tries to match an input biometric (such as a fingerprint, face image, or iris image) to a stored biometric template. Thus correlation filter techniques are attractive candidates for the matching precision needed in biometric verification. In particular, advanced correlation filters, such as synthetic discriminant function filters, can offer very good matching performance in the presence of variability in these biometric images (e.g., facial expressions, illumination changes, etc.). We investigate the performance of advanced correlation filters for face, fingerprint, and iris biometric verification.

In order to examine the possible influences of anthropogenic wastes on the Florida Keys coral reef tract, water column particulate organic matter \\(POM\\), primary producers, and filter feeders were sampled from within the coastal waters of the reef tract, and analyzed for \\delta 15N and \\delta 13C isotopic composition. The POM was found to have a mean \\delta 15N value of +4.13\\permil (\\pm 1.03\\permil\\) and a mean \\delta 13C value of -19.93\\permil (\\pm 0.58\\permil). The \\delta 13C values for POM across the entire reef tract were heavier inshore \\(avg \\delta 13C = -18.29\\permil \\(\\pm 1.04\\permil\\)\\) and became lighter offshore \\(avg \\delta 13C = -21.41\\permil \\(\\pm 0.89\\permil\\)\\), which is consistent with influences from benthic algae/seagrass closer to shore in contrast to open-marine influences offshore. The \\delta 15N values for POM were neither temporally nor spatially interrelated, as the data showed no clear trend moving in either the inshore or offshore direction. Instead, our \\delta 15N values for POM reflect a combined influence from nitrogen fixation \\(\\approx0\\permil\\), zooplankton and other suspended particles, and not anthropogenic wastes \\(>+10\\permil\\), as other authors claim. The mean isotopic composition of various primary producers suggests a nitrogen fixation source of nutrients to the reef system (Halimeda sp. (\\delta 15N = 2.43\\permil; \\delta 13C = -18.04\\permill), Dictyota sp. (\\delta 15N = +2.86\\permil; \\delta 13C = -16.30\\permil), Thalassia sp. (\\delta 15N = 2.39\\permil; \\delta 13C = -10.32\\permil)), while filter feeders were found to have a mean isotopic composition more similar to POM values (sponge \\delta 15N = 4.95\\permil; \\delta 13C = -18.02\\permil). Our data simply do not appear to show evidence of anthropogenic influence on the Florida Keys reef tract. Further more, we suggest that \\delta 15N values of +4\\permil, which have recently been suggested to indicate anthropogenic

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative condition in which abnormalities in protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, may lead to accumulation of the protein α-synuclein (α-syn). Mutations within or multiplications of the gene encoding α-syn are known to cause genetic forms of PD and polymorphisms in the gene are recently established risk factors for idiopathic PD. α-syn is a major component of Lewy bodies, the intracellular proteinaceous inclusions which are pathological hallmarks of most forms of PD. Recent evidence demonstrates that α-syn can self associate into soluble oligomeric species and implicates these α-syn oligomers in cell death. We have previously shown that carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP), a co-chaperone molecule with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, may reduce the levels of toxic α-syn oligomers. Here we demonstrate that α-syn is ubiquitinylated by CHIP both in vitro and in cells. We find that the products from ubiquitinylation by CHIP include both monoubiquitinylated and polyubiquitinylated forms of α-syn. We also demonstrate that CHIP and α-syn exist within a protein complex with the co-chaperone bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5) in brain. The interaction of CHIP with BAG5 is mediated by Hsp70 which binds to the tetratricopeptide repeat domain of CHIP and the BAG domains of BAG5. The Hsp70-mediated association of BAG5 with CHIP results in inhibition of CHIP E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and subsequently reduces α-syn ubiquitinylation. Furthermore, we use a luciferase-based protein-fragment complementation assay of α-syn oligomerization to investigate regulation of α-syn oligomers by CHIP in living cells. We demonstrate that BAG5 mitigates the ability of CHIP to reduce α-syn oligomerization and that non-ubiquitinylated α-syn has an increased propensity for oligomerization. Thus, our results identify CHIP as an E3 ubiquitin ligase of α-syn and suggest a novel function for BAG5 as a modulator of CHIP E3

This invention is comprised of a process for dissolution of spent high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and then combining the complexed filter solution with other radioactive wastes prior to calcining the mixed and blended waste feed. The process is an alternate to a prior method of acid leaching the spent filters which is an inefficient method of treating spent HEPA filters for disposal.

An electric air filter cartridge has a cylindrical inner high voltage eleode, a layer of filter material, and an outer ground electrode formed of a plurality of segments moveably connected together. The outer electrode can be easily opened to remove or insert filter material. Air flows through the two electrodes and the filter material and is exhausted from the center of the inner electrode.

A process for dissolution of spent high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and then combining the complexed filter solution with other radioactive wastes prior to calcining the mixed and blended waste feed. The process is an alternate to a prior method of acid leaching the spent filters which is an inefficient method of treating spent HEPA filters for disposal.

A process is described for dissolution of spent high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and then combining the complexed filter solution with other radioactive wastes prior to calcining the mixed and blended waste feed. The process is an alternate to a prior method of acid leaching the spent filters which is an inefficient method of treating spent HEPA filters for disposal. 4 figures.

An electric air filter cartridge has a cylindrical inner high voltage electrode, a layer of filter material, and an outer ground electrode formed of a plurality of segments moveably connected together. The outer electrode can be easily opened to remove or insert filter material. Air flows through the two electrodes and the filter material and is exhausted from the center of the inner electrode.

ABSTRACT Atypical PKC (ι/λ and ζ; hereafter referred to as aPKC) is a key player in the acquisition of epithelial polarity and participates in other signaling cascades including the control of NF-κB signaling. This kinase is post-translationally regulated through Hsp70-mediated refolding. Previous work has shown that such a chaperoning activity is specifically localized to keratin intermediate filaments. Our work was performed with the goal of identifying the molecule(s) that block Hsp70 activity on keratin filaments during inflammation. A transcriptional screen allowed us to focus on BAG-1, a multi-functional protein that assists Hsp70 in nucleotide exchange but also blocks its activity at higher concentrations. We found the BAG-1 isoform BAG-1M upregulated threefold in human Caco-2 cells following stimulation with tumor necrosis factor receptor α (TNFα) to induce a pro-inflammatory response, and up to sixfold in mouse enterocytes following treatment with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colitis. BAG-1M, but no other isoform, was found to co-purify with intermediate filaments and block Hsp70 activity in the keratin fraction but not in the soluble fraction within the range of concentrations found in epithelial cells cultured under control and inflammation conditions. Constitutive expression of BAG-1M decreased levels of phosphorylated aPKC. By contrast, knockdown of BAG-1, blocked the TNFα-induced decrease of phosphorylated aPKC. We conclude that BAG-1M mediates Hsp70 inhibition downstream of NF-κB. PMID:24876225

Myofibrillar myopathies (MFMs) are genetically heterogeneous dystrophies characterized by the disintegration of Z-disks and myofibrils and are associated with mutations in genes encoding Z-disk or Z-disk-related proteins. The c.626 C > T (p.P209L) mutation in the BAG3 gene has been described as causative of a subtype of MFM. We report a sporadic case of a 26-year-old Italian woman, affected by MFM with axonal neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, rigid spine, who carries the c.626 C > T mutation in the BAG3 gene. The patient and her non-consanguineous healthy parents and brother were studied with whole exome sequencing (WES) to further investigate the genetic basis of this complex phenotype. In the patient, we found that the BAG3 mutation is associated with variants in the NRAP and FHL1 genes that encode muscle-specific, LIM domain containing proteins. Quantitative real time PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis of the patient's muscular biopsy showed the absence of NRAP expression and FHL1 accumulation in aggregates in the affected skeletal muscle tissue. Molecular dynamic analysis of the mutated FHL1 domain showed a modification in its surface charge, which could affect its capability to bind its target proteins. To our knowledge this is the first study reporting, in a BAG3 MFM, the simultaneous presence of genetic variants in the BAG3 and FHL1 genes (previously described as independently associated with MFMs) and linking the NRAP gene to MFM for the first time. PMID:27443559

Back pain is common in adolescents which has been associated with carrying a bag. However, there is little research examining the effects of bag style in female adolescents. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of different bag conditions on muscle activity of the trapezius, erector spinae and latissimus dorsi muscles in female university students during walking. Twelve female university students walked on a treadmill for 5 minutes at 1.1 m/s during five conditions; control, 1 strapped rucksack, 2 strapped rucksack, ipsilateral shoulder strap and contralateral shoulder strap, each containing 10% bodyweight. Electromyography for the trapezius, erector spinae and latissimus dorsi was recorded for the last 30 s of each condition. Two-way ANOVA and paired t-tests were used to identify differences between right and left muscles and between bag conditions. Results showed that muscle activity of the left trapezius was significantly higher than the right trapezius during the 1 strap rucksack condition. For the left trapezius, the 2 strapped rucksack and the control condition had significantly lower muscle activity compared to the 1 strapped rucksack and the ipsilateral shoulder strap. For the left erector spinae muscle, there was significantly greater muscle activity when wearing the contralateral shoulder strap compared to the control. For the right erector spinae, significantly lower muscle activity was observed when wearing the 2 strapped rucksack compared to the ipsilateral shoulder strap and contralateral shoulder strap. There were no significant differences in muscle activity of the latissimus dorsi muscles between any of the bag conditions. These findings suggest that a two strapped rucksack should be used when carrying loads to reduce spinal muscle activity which may, in turn, reduce reports of back pain in female adolescents. PMID:25964808

Flexible plastic bags are the container of choice for most intravenous (i.v.) infusions. Under certain circumstances, however, the air-liquid interface present in these i.v. bags can lead to physical instability of protein biopharmaceuticals, resulting in product aggregation. In principle, the air headspace present in the bags can be removed to increase drug stability, but experiments described here show that this can result in incomplete draining of solution from the bag using gravity delivery, or generation of negative pressure in the bag when an infusion pump is used. It is expected that these issues could lead to incomplete delivery of medication to patients or pump-related problems, respectively. However, here it is shown that contrary to the standard pharmacy practice of using nonvented spikes with i.v. bags, the use of vented spikes with i.v. bags that lack air headspace allows complete delivery of the dose solution without impacting the physical stability of a protein-based drug. PMID:25953689

Tumor suppressor p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in tumors. Many mutant p53 (mutp53) proteins promote tumorigenesis through the gain-of-function (GOF) mechanism. Mutp53 proteins often accumulate to high levels in tumors, which is critical for mutp53 GOF. Its underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we found that BAG2, a protein of Bcl-2 associated athanogene (BAG) family, promotes mutp53 accumulation and GOF in tumors. Mechanistically, BAG2 binds to mutp53 and translocates to the nucleus to inhibit the MDM2-mutp53 interaction, and MDM2-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of mutp53. Thus, BAG2 promotes mutp53 accumulation and GOF in tumor growth, metastasis and chemoresistance. BAG2 is frequently overexpressed in tumors. BAG2 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in patients and mutp53 accumulation in tumors. These findings revealed a novel and important mechanism for mutp53 accumulation and GOF in tumors, and also uncovered an important role of BAG2 in tumorigenesis through promoting mutp53 accumulation and GOF. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08401.001 PMID:26271008

The present study was conducted to reveal the effect of bags with different colors on the fruit coloration of 'Yunhongli No. 2'. The differences in fruit skin color, chlorophyll, flavonoids, total phenol, anthocyanin contents and the activities of related enzymes involved in anthocyanin synthesis among different bagging treatments were evaluated. The results showed that dark treatment at the fruit development stage was beneficial to skin coloration after bag removing. After removing bags, the anthocyanin content in the treatment of natural light was highest and the red coloration of the fruit skin were best, followed by the treatment of white bags. The different bagging treatments significantly affected the contents of chlorophyll, flavonoids, total phenol, anthocyanin in the fruit skin, thereby affected the skin coloration. The activities of related enzymes for anthocyanin synthesis showed significant differences among the different bagging treatments. The correlation analysis suggested that the anthocyanin content was significantly positively related with the activities of dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) and UDP-glucose flavonoid-3-O-glucosyltransf-erase (UFGT), however, it had no significant correlation with the activity of phenylalanin ammo-nialyase (PAL). PMID:24984501

Cochaperones are essential for Hsp70/Hsc70-mediated folding of proteins and include nucleotide exchange factors (NEF) that assist protein folding by accelerating ADP/ATP exchange on Hsp70. The cochaperone Bag2 binds misfolded Hsp70 clients and also acts as a NEF, but the molecular basis of its functions is unclear. We show that, rather than being a member of the Bag domain family, Bag2 contains a new type of Hsp70 NEF domain, which we call the “Brand New Bag” (BNB) domain. Free and Hsc70-bound crystal structures of Bag2-BNB show its dimeric structure in which a flanking linker helix and loop bind to Hsc70 to promote nucleotide exchange. NMR analysis demonstrates that the client-binding sites and Hsc70 interaction sites of Bag2-BNB overlap, and that Hsc70 can displace clients from Bag2-BNB, indicating a distinct mechanism for the regulation of Hsp-70-mediated protein folding by Bag2. PMID:19029896

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between muscle activities and strap length and type of the school bag during walking. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 20 healthy students. An 8-channel electromyograph (8-EMG) (Pocket EMG, BTS, Italy) was used to measure the muscle activities of the right upper trapezius, left upper trapezius, right erector spinae and left erector spinae during walking with the bag. The collected data were analyzed using Kendall's coefficient of concordance. [Results] The muscle activities of the right upper trapezius, left upper trapezius, right erector spinae and left erector spinae were significantly higher when walking with a shoulder bag than when walking with a backpack. No significant correlations were found between muscle activities and strap lengths of the bag. [Conclusion] While carrying a bag, the activities of the trunk muscles were influenced more by the type of the bag than by the strap length. These results indicate that a backpack is a better method of carrying a load than a shoulder bag. PMID:25540502

OBJECTIVES. The effectiveness of air bags was estimated in this study by comparing driver fatalities in frontal crashes with driver fatalities in nonfrontal crashes, for cars with air bags and manual belts and cars with manual belts only. METHODS. Fatal Accident Reporting System data for drivers fatally injured during 1985 to 1991 in 1985 to 1991 model year cars that were equipped with air bags in or before model year 1991 were analyzed. RESULTS. Driver fatalities in frontal crashes in air bag cars were 28% lower than those in comparable cars with manual belts only. This percentage was used for estimating the overall fatality reduction in air bag cars. The reduction was greater in large cars (50%) than in midsize cars (19%) or in small cars (14%). Air bags reduced driver fatalities in frontal crashes involving ejection by about 9%. Fatalities in frontal crashes among drivers who were reportedly using manual belts at the time of the crash were reduced by about 15%. The comparable reduction among drivers who were reportedly not using manual belts was 31%. CONCLUSION. It was estimated that air bags reduced the total number of all driver fatalities by about 19%. PMID:8484445

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between muscle activities and strap length and type of the school bag during walking. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 20 healthy students. An 8-channel electromyograph (8-EMG) (Pocket EMG, BTS, Italy) was used to measure the muscle activities of the right upper trapezius, left upper trapezius, right erector spinae and left erector spinae during walking with the bag. The collected data were analyzed using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. [Results] The muscle activities of the right upper trapezius, left upper trapezius, right erector spinae and left erector spinae were significantly higher when walking with a shoulder bag than when walking with a backpack. No significant correlations were found between muscle activities and strap lengths of the bag. [Conclusion] While carrying a bag, the activities of the trunk muscles were influenced more by the type of the bag than by the strap length. These results indicate that a backpack is a better method of carrying a load than a shoulder bag. PMID:25540502

Africa is one of the most water-scarce continents in the world but it is the lack of potable water which results in diarrhoea being the leading cause of death amongst children under the age of five in Africa (696 million children under 5 years old in Africa contract diarrhoea resulting in 2000 deaths per day: WHO and UNICEF, 2009). Most potable water treatment methods use bulk water treatment not suitable or available to the majority of rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. One simple but effective way of making sure that water is of good quality is by purifying it by means of a household ceramic water filter. The making and supply of water filters suitable for the removal of suspended solids, pathogenic bacteria and other toxins from drinking water is therefore critical. A micro-porous ceramic water filter with micron-sized pores was developed using the traditional slip casting process. This locally produced filter has the advantage of making use of less raw materials, cost, labour, energy and expertise and being more effective and efficient than other low cost produced filters. The filter is fitted with a silicone tube inserted into a collapsible bag that acts as container and protection for the filter. Enhanced flow is obtained through this filter system. The product was tested using water inoculated with high concentrations of different bacterial cultures as well as with locally polluted stream water. The filter is highly effective (log10 > 4 with 99.99% reduction efficiency) in providing protection from bacteria and suspended solids found in natural water. With correct cleaning and basic maintenance this filter technology can effectively provide drinking water to rural families affected by polluted surface water sources. This is an African solution for the more than 340 million people in Africa without access to clean drinking water (WHO and UNICEF, 2008).

This study explored the feasibility of using the anammox hybrid reactor (AHR), which combines suspended and attached growth media, for the biodegradation of ammonical nitrogen in wastewater. The study was performed in four laboratory-scale AHRs, inoculated with mixed seed culture (1:1). The anammox process was established by feeding the AHR with synthetic wastewater, containing NH(4)-N and NO(2)-N (1:1), at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day. The reactors were gradually acclimated to a higher ammonium concentration (1200 mg/l) until the pseudo-steady state was attained. Subsequently, the reactors were operated at various HRTs (0.25-3.0 days) to optimize the HRT and nitrogen loading rate (NLR). The study demonstrated that HRT of 1 day, corresponding to 95.1% of nitrogen removal was optimal. Pearson correlation analysis indicated the strong and positive correlation of HRT and sludge retention time (SRT), whereas the NLR and biomass yield correlated negatively with the nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE). The mass balance of nitrogen showed that a major fraction (79.1%) of the input nitrogen was converted into N2 gas, and 11.25% was utilized in synthesizing the biomass. The filter media in the AHR contributed to an additional 15.4% of ammonium removal and a reduction of 29% in the sludge washout rate. The nitrogen removal kinetics in the AHR followed the modified Stover-Kincannon model, whereas the Lawrence-McCarty model best described the bacterial growth kinetics. The study concludes that the hybrid configuration of the reactor demonstrated promising results and could be suitably applied for industrial applications. PMID:26277220

Modern diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems are very effective in reducing particle emissions from diesel vehicles. In this work low-level particulate matter (PM) emissions from a DPF equipped EURO-4 diesel vehicle were studied in the emission test laboratory as well as during real-world chasing on a high-speed test track. Size and time resolved data obtained from an engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS) and a condensation particle counter (CPC) are presented for both loaded and unloaded DPF condition. The corresponding time and size resolved emission factors were calculated for acceleration, deceleration, steady state driving and during DPF regeneration, and are compared with each other. In addition, the DPF efficiency of the tested vehicle was evaluated during the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) by real time pre-/post-DPF measurements and was found to be 99.5% with respect to PM number concentration and 99.3% for PM mass, respectively. PM concentrations, which were measured at a distance of about 10 m behind the test car, ranged from 1 to 1.5 times background level when the vehicle was driven on the test track under normal acceleration conditions or at constant speeds below 100 kmh -1. Only during higher speeds and full load accelerations concentrations above 3 times background level could be observed. The corresponding tests in the emission laboratory confirmed these results. During DPF regeneration the total PM number emission of nucleation mode particles was 3-4 orders of magnitude higher compared to those emitted at the same speed without regeneration, while the level of the accumulation mode particles remained about the same. The majority of the particles emitted during DPF regeneration was found to be volatile, and is suggested to originate from accumulated sulfur compounds.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the conclusions for the odor control test of the Urine Containment Bag (UCB), P/N SDD46107234-306 in an environment simulating a space craft capsule. JSC 65891, Odor Control Test Plan of the Urine Containment Bag (UCB) for Orion Utilization, documents the test plan. The details of the test set-up and data reduction are detailed in the WSTF test report for this test WSTF #10-44500, Odor Control Test Plan of the Urine Containment Bag (UCB) for Orion Utilization,. This document outlines the project conclusions and forward plans with regard to trash containment for Constellation.

Chronic recurrent endophthalmitis can occur following uncomplicated cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation secondary to organisms sequestered in the capsular bag. There is a need to identify these sequestered organisms to facilitate appropriate management. Frequently, specimens from the anterior chamber and vitreous cavity could be unyielding, especially in the early cases in which the vitreous is still uninvolved. This article highlights the technique of directly sampling the capsular bag material in the effective diagnosis of the organism, which facilitated the total cure by irrigation with appropriate antibiotics into the capsular bag. PMID:18292631

This analysis was performed in the industry for bagging grain (granular urea) nitrogen fertilizer factory in order to raise the causes of accidents on the operators. Data collection through direct observation and interviews done with the managers and operators have identified the causes of accidents. The results show an evident fact: the working conditions of bagging grain cause embarrassment to the employee, as well as the emergence of pathophysiology due to overload, then the problems of work organization involving mainly equipment, tools and accessories inadequate. At the end of this work are related suggestions, which has as its goal the reduction or even elimination of accidents involving operators bagging grain. PMID:22317548

Platelet concentrates stored in bags (made of a plastic film incorporating a new plasticizer) on flat-bed agitators for up to 5 days were found to have accelerated pH decline when the surface of the bag was obstructed with added labels and an invoice on the non-labeled side. Without the over-labeling and invoice, only one of 20 concentrates had a pH below 6.0, even at very high concentrations of platelets. Blood banks experiencing problems with pH decline in the platelet concentrates being stored up to 5 days should consider eliminating surface obstruction on the bag. PMID:6679386

The use of the Delaware Sand Filter for treatment of ultra-urban stormwater is investigated for Florida applications. An experimental Delaware filter is designed in conjunction with a typical sand filter as part of a street improvement project in Tallahassee, Florida. The design allows for testing of different filter media in an attempt to determine the suitability of the Delaware Sand Filter in hot climates with numerous heavy rainfall episodes.

Production costs for shiitake (Lentinula edodes) are on the rise in the United States due to increasing expenses including materials, labor and energy. Increased yield and improved bioconversion of raw materials may improve grower profit margins and may help reduce the cost of shiitake to the consumer. Two crops (Crop 1 and 2) of shiitake were grown to evaluate effects of three substrate moisture contents (50%, 55% and 60%), two log weights (2.7 and 3.2kg) and three porosities of bagfilter (low, medium and high) on mushroom yield (g/log) and biological efficiency (BE). Yield data were collected under controlled environmental conditions for two breaks. The formulation with 55% substrate moisture gave the highest yield and BE. Higher mushroom yields were produced from heavier logs (3.2kg), but BE was not significantly affected. Filter porosity significantly affected yield and BE in Crop 1 but not in Crop 2. Significant interactions were observed for log moisture content x filter porosity for both crops. There were no significant two-way interactions observed for filter porosity x log weight or three-way interactions observed for moisture content x filter porosity x log weight. Maximum yields were obtained from 3.2kg logs with a substrate moisture content of ca. 55% using medium or low porosity-filteredbags. This study may provide growers with additional information to better optimize production practices and become more efficient and competitive. PMID:18485700

A new magnetic macroparticle filter design consisting of two 90{sup o} filters forming an S-shape is described. Transport properties of this S-filter are investigated using Langmuir and deposition probes. It is shown that filter efficiency is product of the efficiencies of two 90{sup o} filters and the deposition rate is still acceptably high to perform thin film deposition. Films of amorphous hard carbon have been deposited using a 90{sup o} filter and the S-filter, and macroparticle content of the films are compared.

Mammary MCF-10A cells seeded on reconstituted basement membrane form spherical structures with a hollow central lumen, termed acini, which are a physiologically relevant model of mammary morphogenesis. Bcl-2-associated athanogene 1 (Bag-1) is a multifunctional protein overexpressed in breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ. When present in the nucleus Bag-1 is predictive of clinical outcome in breast cancer. Bag-1 exists as three main isoforms, which are produced by alternative translation initiation from a single mRNA. The long isoform of Bag-1, Bag-1L, contains a nuclear localisation sequence not present in the other isoforms. When present in the nucleus Bag-1L, but not the other Bag-1 isoforms, can interact with and modulate the activities of estrogen-, androgen- and vitamin D-receptors. Overexpression of Bag-1 mRNA in MCF-10A is known to produce acini with luminal filling reminiscent of ductal carcinoma in situ. As this mRNA predominantly overexpresses the short isoform of Bag-1, Bag-1S, we set out to examine whether the nuclear Bag-1L isoform is sufficient to drive premalignant change by developing a Bag-1L-overexpressing MCF-10A model. Two clones differentially overexpressing Bag-1L were grown in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cultures and compared with an established model of HER2-driven transformation. In 2D cultures, Bag-1L overexpression reduced proliferation but did not affect growth factor responsiveness or clonogenicity. Acini formed by Bag-1L-overexpressing cells exhibited reduced luminal clearing when compared with controls. An abnormal branching morphology was also observed which correlated with the level of Bag-1L overexpression, suggesting further malignant change. Treatment with Thio-2, a small-molecule inhibitor of Bag-1, reduced the level of branching. In summary, 3D cultures of MCF-10A mammary epithelial cells overexpressing Bag-1L demonstrate a premalignant phenotype with features of ductal carcinoma in situ. Using this

Mammary MCF-10A cells seeded on reconstituted basement membrane form spherical structures with a hollow central lumen, termed acini, which are a physiologically relevant model of mammary morphogenesis. Bcl-2-associated athanogene 1 (Bag-1) is a multifunctional protein overexpressed in breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ. When present in the nucleus Bag-1 is predictive of clinical outcome in breast cancer. Bag-1 exists as three main isoforms, which are produced by alternative translation initiation from a single mRNA. The long isoform of Bag-1, Bag-1L, contains a nuclear localisation sequence not present in the other isoforms. When present in the nucleus Bag-1L, but not the other Bag-1 isoforms, can interact with and modulate the activities of estrogen-, androgen- and vitamin D-receptors. Overexpression of Bag-1 mRNA in MCF-10A is known to produce acini with luminal filling reminiscent of ductal carcinoma in situ. As this mRNA predominantly overexpresses the short isoform of Bag-1, Bag-1S, we set out to examine whether the nuclear Bag-1L isoform is sufficient to drive premalignant change by developing a Bag-1L-overexpressing MCF-10A model. Two clones differentially overexpressing Bag-1L were grown in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cultures and compared with an established model of HER2-driven transformation. In 2D cultures, Bag-1L overexpression reduced proliferation but did not affect growth factor responsiveness or clonogenicity. Acini formed by Bag-1L-overexpressing cells exhibited reduced luminal clearing when compared with controls. An abnormal branching morphology was also observed which correlated with the level of Bag-1L overexpression, suggesting further malignant change. Treatment with Thio-2, a small-molecule inhibitor of Bag-1, reduced the level of branching. In summary, 3D cultures of MCF-10A mammary epithelial cells overexpressing Bag-1L demonstrate a premalignant phenotype with features of ductal carcinoma in situ. Using this